Warriors: Everlasting Miracles II Turn 4: Amity's Eclipse
by Geasswolf
Summary: After the defeat of the rogues, peace has finally been restored to the Clans. However, with SkyClan's new inclusion, tensions slowly begin to rise between the Clans and amongst Clanmates. StarClan informs the medicine cats that "The dark sky must not herald a storm.", but could it be too late? Could the animosity that consumed the short period of peace be what StarClan prophesized?
1. Chapter 1: Divide

Hello everyone, and welcome back to Warriors: Everlasting Miracles II. This one is based off of Warriors: A Vision of Shadows: Darkest Night, so if you haven't read it yet, stop here, because this series heavily follows the A Vision of Shadows series.

Note that this story is a multi-crossover and contains characters from Warriors, Code Geass, Sword Art Online, and Final Fantasy XV. If you did not know that, then you should probably start at Warriors: Everlasting Miracles I. Anyway, I hope that you all enjoy this new installment.

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Warriors: Everlasting Miracles II: Turn 4: Amity's Eclipse

Chapter 1: Divide

 _Lelouch's paws crunched softly_ through the fallen leaves, a mouse in his jaws. He had gone out hunting with Ivypool, Twigpaw, Cherryfall, Sparkpelt, and Lionblaze. They were waiting on Twigpaw, the apprentice still out hunting.

"C'mon Twigpaw! We have to get going!" Ivypool meowed.

"Give her some time. We don't want to make too much noise and scare away whatever she's hunting." Lelouch responded, Ivypool letting out a sigh before cracking a smile.

"Maybe falling in love with the smartest cat in the forest was a mistake." The black tom let out a chuckle.

"At least that means I'm the best mistake you've made, right?" The silver and white tabby gave her mate a shove. "Look, there she is." Twigpaw walked over to the pile of fresh-kill the cats created and dropped her mouse on the top of it. "Hi Twigpaw. Nice catch. At least Ivypool didn't drive it off."

"Can you stop?" She told him playfully. "It's a great catch, Twigpaw, like always." The apprentice gleamed with pride.

"I learned from the best." She replied. Ivypool shot a look at Lelouch.

"Don't you dare say anything like 'oh, Lionblaze is the best'." Twigpaw let out a giggle at Ivypool's impression of her mate.

"You both are an amazing couple. I hope I find something similar to what you two have." The two blushed at her praise.

"Try not to keep that in your mind just yet. You still haven't become a warrior yet." Ivypool advised. "But you're close." Lelouch looked over and saw that Lionblaze was looking around. He tasted the air, but he didn't sense anything. Concerned, he walked over to the golden tom.

"Everything okay?" He asked.

"What? Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Sparkpelt padded over to the two. "You look like you're searching for danger. The rogues are gone and every other Clan seems like they're in our camp."

"ShadowClan left a few days ago." Lelouch pointed out.

"Yeah, but we still have half of RiverClan and a whole new Clan taking up den space. I can't remember the last time I had my own nest. The same goes for you too, Lelouch. Aren't you sick of sleeping under the ferns?" The she-cat said.

"Reedwhisker and the other RiverClan cats need the nests more than we do. They're still recovering from being held captive. We have to be considerate." The violet-eyed tom meowed.

"They won't be there for much longer. Mistystar says that they're almost done rebuilding." Ivypool added.

"But that still leaves SkyClan. Where are they gonna go?"

"The leaders will discuss it at the next Gathering." Lionblaze replied.

"How are they going to do that? Are they just going to invent some new territory out of nowhere?"

"Right? There's not enough room around the lake for a fifth Clan." Cherryfall said.

"Only because there's always been four Clans. It'll take some adjusting, but I'm sure the leaders will think of something." Lelouch assured them. Twigpaw let out a smile. She was glad the tom was defending SkyClan's addition to the lake, but at the same time she felt selfish. _Could there really be no room for SkyClan?_

"Okay, but then who's going to be the Clan adjusting?" Sparkpelt questioned.

"We'll leave that to StarClan." Lionblaze meowed with a shrug.

"Yeah." Cherryfall looked over the pile of prey. "They're the ones who wanted them back, after all. They'll find something out." Lelouch could sense tensions rising within some of the cats. Did they really not care for SkyClan at all? _Ironically, it's coming from two cats who went on the first journey looking for them._

"We should get going back to camp, everyone." He commanded. The others picked up the rest of the prey and made their way back to camp. When they arrived, Lelouch walked beside Twigpaw and the two dropped their prey down on the fresh-kill pile. As the black tom did, he quickly drew his nose away at the sudden slimy sensation. He saw that it came from a frog.

"Is this someone's idea of a joke?"

"Nope. RiverClan brought them back." Molewhisker told him, the tom looking for a piece of prey before they approached.

"I guess they like how they taste." The apprentice said.

"Fish would've been a bit better, in my opinion." The black tom meowed. Cherryfall now walked over to the pile to drop off her fresh-kill.

"At least they're catching something." She glared over at the SkyClan cats. "They're still too weak to hunt."

"They can't help it. They've been through so much." Twigpaw meowed.

"Right. Jayfeather did say they needed to rest until they regained their strength, after all." Ivypool meowed, joining in on the conversation after she laid her prey down.

"What about _our_ strength? We've practically been taking care of all the Clans." The she-cat responded. After Lionblaze dropped his prey, he looked over at her.

"Complaining isn't going to get us anywhere." Molewhisker stood defensively next to her sister.

"She's allow to have an opinion on all of this." He retorted, glaring at the golden tom. "Besides, are we sure that they're even a Clan?"

"They could just be rogues." His sister added.

"How could you both say that?" Lelouch asked them. "We went on the journey together looking for them, and now all of a sudden when we actually find them you're having doubts? Is this how you've felt from the beginning?" The siblings looked down at the ground, avoiding the tom's gaze.

"StarClan wanted us to find them." Ivypool added. "It was just that they returned at a bad time." Cherryfall let out a scoff.

"StarClan wasn't the one who brought them back to us. Some cat brought them here because she wanted to see her father." Lelouch looked over at Twigpaw and could see the hurt in her gaze. The apprentice turned away from the group.

"Twigpaw, wait!" Ivypool chased after her apprentice, Lelouch looking over at the ginger she-cat.

"You didn't have to say that, Cherryfall, especially since you have no idea how it feels like to be Twigpaw. She's lived most of her life separated from her kin. Would you not do anything to meet your father if you were separated from him? I know Nightheart probably would have." The she-cat's ears fell flat. The black tom looked over at her brother, who still avoided his gaze. Turning around, he walked over to where Twigpaw and Ivypool were.

"How is she feeling?"

"I'm okay." Twigpaw replied. "You should ask Ivypool." The tom looked over at his mate and noticed her wipe her eyes with a paw.

"Did Cherryfall get to you, too?"

"No. It's just…Twigpaw didn't deserve to hear any of that. I'm so proud of everything she's done up until now." She replied. "I'm guessing you scolded her about it?"

"Of course I did. I know they're both different, but I know that Nightheart knows how Twigpaw feels because I wasn't there for her when she was young. I wouldn't want anyone saying that to Nightheart and I know Twigpaw didn't deserve any of it either." He let out a sigh. "Cherryfall and Molewhisker seemed quiet after that, but I think it's only because they respect me so much."

"Who wouldn't?" Ivypool gave the tom's face a quick lick before looking over at Twigpaw. "I'm really sorry for not supporting you wanting to go look for your kin. I wasn't thinking about you or StarClan at the time."

"What _were_ you thinking about?" The she-cat looked over at her mate.

"Tigerheart and Dovewing. I didn't want them traveling together."

"So…you weren't mad at me?" Lelouch asked.

"I was, but combined with me worrying about Dovewing, I couldn't stop myself." She responded. "I'm still sorry for hurting you both that day. Despite forgiving me, I just can't forget about it."

"So, you didn't want to stop me from find my father and SkyClan?"

"Of course not. I just wish I could tell you, but fighting with Lelouch may have turned me into a bit of a recluse at the time. I'm glad Noctis left the Clan to help you. Who knows what might've happened if he didn't."

"Are you mad that I snuck off?"

"Worried would be a better word. Even after Alderheart let us know that Noctis was looking for you, I still had to reassure her that you were okay at least once a day." A blush formed on the she-cat's face and she gave the tom a small shove.

"Because I care about her! She's my apprentice after all. I couldn't help but feel responsible." She meowed. "I would have done the same thing if I was in your paws, Twigpaw. All that matters now is that you're okay. ThunderClan's lucky to have you." A caring purr rose in the apprentice's throat as she brushed her head onto her mentor's coat.

"Thank you, Ivypool…oh, and you too, Lelouch."

"It's nothing. If you ever need anything, Twigpaw, you come to us both, okay?" The apprentice nodded.

"You should get going to the medicine cat's den now. I think someone wants you." Twigpaw turned and saw Violetpaw at the entrance. The apprentice broke away from the two, Ivypool pressing her head close to her mate's shoulder as they watched her.

"I wish newleaf would come already." She meowed.

"You know…we don't have to wait." Lelouch replied charmingly, causing Ivypool to blush. He let out a laugh. "I'm just kidding. If we want our future kits to grow up healthy, our best bet is in the spring, err… I mean newleaf, like you said."

"Right. Twigpaw just reminds me about how much fun I had taking care of Nightheart when she was her age. I just want you to experience it already."

"Do you think they'll turn out differently since I'll be taking care of them too?"

"Of course. They won't be as behaved as Nightheart with you around." She teased, causing the tom to roll his eyes.

"How'd I not see that coming?" Ivypool gave the tom a lick to the cheek.

"I'm just kidding. They'll be perfect to us, no matter how they turn out."

Twigpaw entered the medicine cat's den, worry in her gaze. She looked around and saw that everything seemed normal. Why did her sister look so worried?

"Did something happen?"

"No." Jayfeather meowed as he lifted one of Briarlight's hindlegs with a paw. "It's just that Alderheart has decided to pay more attention to SkyClan's cats instead of any other cat here. It seems like he's trying to get Leafstar to recruit him."

"Jayfeather…you know that's not true." Asuna said.

"He's just being a good medicine cat like you taught him!" Twigpaw added. Jayfeather's blind gaze looked over at the apprentice before she walked into the den with her sister to see her father. When he got back to work, Asuna placed her tail on his shoulder.

"You seem surprised that she talked back to you. Maybe you're getting less scary every day." Jayfeather scoffed at her remark.

"You know it's probably just because you're here, Asuna. I can't yell at anyone without you scolding me afterwards." Jayfeather felt his face grow warm as he said that.

"Maybe it's good thing. You do have a tendency to yell at cats." Briarlight said.

"Lelouch doesn't have to come here to help you anymore, you know." He replied. "Besides, every cat in ThunderClan knows how I am. I'm sure they're all used to it by now."

"I'm sure they wouldn't have it any other way, either." Asuna meowed before walking over to where Alderheart was. He was checking on Hawkwing as his two daughters watched. "How is he, Alderheart?"

"Better. His scratches still need some time to heal, so he'll need to rest for a bit longer."

"Are you sure?" Hawkwing asked. "I don't want to stay put doing nothing. I just feel like a burden for ThunderClan."

"Don't feel that way, Hawkwing. We're happy to help any cats in need." The cream she-cat assured him.

"I guess as long as these two get to hunt and hone their skills, I'm happy." He looked over at Twigpaw. "How was it this morning?

"Great! I caught a mouse and a shrew." Twigpaw said in joy. As they were talking, Twigpaw's nose twitched and she quickly turned around and saw Noctis had just entered the medicine cat's den. "Noct!" She ran up to the tom and pressed her head onto his coat, letting out a purr.

"Hey Twigpaw. What have you been up to…" He let out a yawn. "Today?"

"I went out hunting and caught a mouse and a shrew!"

"I bet you did it flawlessly too, right?" Alderheart walked over to the two and greeted the black tom with a smile.

"Did you just wake up?"

"Yup. Not really in the most pleasant way, though. Do you not hear the arguing outside?"

"I'm usually too concentrated on working in here. What was it about?"

"Something about Mosspelt not getting any prey. I dunno, but I definitely could've caught a bit more sleep if they kept their voices way lower."

"I don't know why they were arguing. Our hunting patrol just got back a few minutes ago." Twigpaw told the tom.

"Seriously?" Noctis let out a sigh. "Well, I'm wide awake now. What're you up to now, Twigpaw?"

"Just watching Alderheart check up on my dad." Noctis looked over and saw the tom, Asuna and Violetpaw near him as well. The three walked over to join them, Hawkwing greeting Noctis with a smile.

"Hello Noctis. How has your day been?"

"I just woke up, so my body's still getting adjusted." He responded. "How are your injuries?"

"Getting better, but not fast enough. I've been wanting to hunt with these two for so long." The SkyClan deputy said. "Anyway, I can't thank you three enough for taking care of them. You don't know how much it means to me."

"It was our pleasure. Watching Twigpaw and Violetpaw grow has been an amazing experience. I'm glad that Alderheart found them that day." Asuna said, the medicine cat licking his chest fur in pride.

"Yeah, and I'm glad SkyClan's finally here with us. We've been through so much and now here they are."

"It's great to be reunited with the Clans again. Now all we need is our own piece of territory so we don't rely on the kindness of the other Clans so much." He meowed. "Why don't we get something to eat, you two? You can join us as well, Noctis."

"Not so fast. You have to eat your herbs first."

"Very well. Noctis, would you take the two over to the fresh-kill pile?"

"Sure. C'mon you two." The black tom led the two apprentices outside and they approached the fresh-kill pile. He looked down at it and saw that there was still food available, just like Twigpaw said. _Even frogs too?_ _I'm not gonna take any chances._ "You both pick first." The two were gazing through the small pile, thinking about what they wanted to eat. As they were, Noctis saw Ivypool run over to them. She looked excited about something. "What's the good news, Ivypool?" Twigpaw turned around to look at her mentor, mouse in her jaws.

"I just spoke with Bramblestar and…we both agree that it's time to give you your warrior assessment!" Twigpaw dropped her mouse and looked at her mentor in disbelief. She wasn't expecting this moment to come any time soon. Sure, she knew she had been through so much training, but to finally reach the point of being granted her warrior name felt amazing. However, something still felt wrong. She looked over at her sister, and then over at the medicine cat's den. _Is ThunderClan where I belong now?_ _I'd become a ThunderClan warrior, but…_

"Congrats, Twigpaw. You've worked hard for this moment." Noctis meowed.

"Yeah…"

"You seemed excited at first, but now you're not." Ivypool stated.

"I'm just a bit nervous now is all."

"Don't be. You've been an amazing first apprentice, Twigpaw. I know you'll pass no problem at all." She assured her. "Oh, I forgot that I just interrupted you three. I'll get going now." The silver and white tabby left them, Noctis looking at the two sisters.

"You both okay?"

"Yeah, we're good. Right, Twigpaw?" Violetpaw meowed. Twigpaw could see through her sister's façade, but she didn't want Noctis worrying about them both.

"Yup."

"Great. Pick something out for Hawkwing too."

"I think I'll share this with him." Violetpaw showed the tom the thrush she picked out. "If you want to share with Noct, you might want to pick something bigger, Twigpaw."

"O-Oh, right!" Twigpaw put her mouse back and looked through the pile.

"We don't have to share, you know. I wouldn't mind though."

"I'm sure Twigpaw would take any opportunity she could to share prey with you." Violetpaw meowed, letting out a small laugh, causing her sister to become flustered.

"Don't act like you wouldn't do the same if it was Lelouch or Kirito."

"W-What are you talking about?" Violetpaw stammered.

"I think she got you there. Just what I'd expect from the cat who put me at the top of her list." Noctis saw that Twigpaw picked out a rabbit. "You trying to get a kiss or something?" He saw that Twigpaw dropped the prey from her jaws, her face hot with embarrassment. "Okay, I might've took that a bit too far…"

"I think that's definitely an understatement." Violetpaw said with a laugh.

"I was just joking, Twigpaw. Rabbit is probably my favorite piece of food as a cat, that's all."

"R-Right, I knew that!" She quickly stammered. "Let's go find a place to eat."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

The moon shone brightly above as the cats of ThunderClan made their way to the island for tonight's Gathering. Suguha walked beside Nightheart as the two followed behind Bramblestar.

"It's a bit chilly tonight." Suguha meowed as her fur was being blown by a gust of wind. "Maybe I should've stayed back in ThunderClan."

"Would you like an escort?" The leader meowed from in front of them, letting out a joking purr.

"I'm sure Suguha will live." Nightheart chuckled. "Bramblestar, do you mind me asking what you and the other leaders will be talking about tonight?"

"I'm sure you know SkyClan's going to come up, but other than that, it should be just like any other Gathering."

"I hope that the Clans can agree on something. Twigpaw and Noctis didn't go on that journey for nothing, after all." The pale-ginger she-cat said. "Plus, they were really great help in the battle against Darktail and the rogues."

"Yes. I'm sure they'll love to live with the other Clans as well." The black she-cat added. "Besides Noctis and Twigpaw's journey, we can't forget about the journey we went on moons ago."

"How could I forget? So many things happened. Actually, I still can't believe how long Kazuto, Asuna, and I have been here. I wonder how our bodies back in our world are doing." Suguha shuddered. "Hopefully we're not in a hospital or anything. The last thing I want is my parents worrying about me."

"I know that feeling all too well." Nightheart replied with a giggle. "Oh, look, there's the bridge over there."

"Let's wait for Alderheart." The two stepped to the side of the bridge and allowed the rest of their Clanmates to cross. Alderheart was the last one, Leafpool standing beside him. "Hi Alderheart." Suguha greeted him with a smile. She then noticed that something was wrong. "Are you okay?" He looked at her, and then at Nightheart.

"Do you both…think that SkyClan should stay here?"

"Why wouldn't we?" Nightheart questioned.

"We've been through so much to find them. It'd be horrible to let it all go in vain."

"See? Some cats agree with you, Alderheart." The medicine cat told him.

"I'm guessing that means you've been hearing the cats around ThunderClan too, right?" The tom nodded.

"Yeah, but just now, I learned that my own sister doesn't agree with it, either."

"Sparkpelt? Really?" Suguha looked at him in disbelief.

"Mother and father both told me that Cherryfall and Molewhisker also don't agree either." Nightheart said. "It's so strange. They went on the first journey with us to look for SkyClan, and now they don't want them here? Did they expect us to not let them stay here all this time?"

"I understand how you three must feel, but you can at least see where they're coming from. Territory is a big issue that they're seeing. With our borders all set, changing them could lead to some problems. However, they don't speak for every cat. We just need to see what the leaders agree on tonight." Leafpool hopped onto the fallen tree. "Regardless, it's all in StarClan's paws." The other three followed behind, Alderheart breaking away and following Leafpool once they made it onto the island. Suguha and Nightheart saw the other ThunderClan cats and joined them, finding a spot beside Ivypool.

"Hi you two." She greeted, giving her daughter a lick on the ear. "You'll be on your best behavior, right, Nightheart?" A blush formed on the she-cat's face, causing Suguha to giggle. "I'm only joking. I know you've grown to be a responsible she-cat, Nightheart."

"It's all thanks to you and father…well, maybe you a bit more." Ivypool scoffed.

"You mean _a lot_ more." She replied with a laugh.

"Ivypool's right. After all, Lelouch is in the camp sleeping, just like Kazuto and Noctis." Suguha sighed. "Typical toms." The three she-cats stopped talking once they heard voices from cats around the clearing.

"Why is Rowanstar even up there?" One cat meowed.

"His Clan chose rogues over their own leader. It just goes to show how great of a leader Rowanstar is."

"Any blood that was spilled during the battle is on you!" They recognized the voice as Molewhisker's.

"Our Clan lost lives too from all of this!" Rowanstar spat. Nightheart looked over towards ShadowClan and saw just how smaller it had gotten. Sure, some of the warriors rejoined ShadowClan, but not all of them. SkyClan was even bigger than them.

"Now's not the time to be blaming anyone. It won't change the fact that lives were lost. What matters is that the Clans were able to band together and drive out the rogues. We would not allow them to tear the Clans apart, and we won't let us do that to ourselves now." He looked out towards the cats, everyone now silent. "Tonight, we grieve for those lost and think forward." Bramblestar turned towards the ShadowClan leader. "Rowanstar, we are sorry for the Clanmates that you lost. Let us remember them tonight."

"Thank you. Many of our Clanmates disappeared under Darktail's rule, and yet, I'm unsure what has happened to them." He began to name off his lost comrades, which was more than any cat originally thought. "I know that some of them betrayed ShadowClan, but there were others who I'm sure were trying to escape."

"It's true." Puddleshine meowed. "I remember Birchbark and Lioneye telling me that they'd try to escape, but I've not seen them since."

"Needletail died saving me!" Violetpaw added. "She stood up to Darktail to help her Clanmates."

"You see? You blame us for the blood that has been spilled, but you fail to realize how much damage ShadowClan took from this." The leader stated. "Any mistakes we've made have been paid with our own blood."

"That doesn't change the fact that your Clan's actions caused RiverClan to suffer as well! Shadepelt, Foxnose, Petalfur, and Heronwing were all killed fighting the rogues."

"I understand, and I do not ask for your forgiveness. All I hope is that StarClan does."

"We'll never forgive you!" One of the RiverClan cats retorted. Soon, other Clans began to join in on the uproar.

"ShadowClan nearly destroyed us all!"

"Rowanstar has no right to be leader!" Suguha looked around in shock. She could understand why every cat was distressed, but even after working together to defeat the rogues, it seemed like the Clans were drifting farther apart than she had ever seen.

"You all blame Rowanstar, but forget that Darktail was Onestar's kin!" Harestar meowed. "He's the one who rejected his own son. Darktail lived with vengeance and murderous intent in his heart for StarClan knows how long. In the end, Onestar was able to stop him, risking his life in the process. Every Clan has suffered losses because of this. What Bramblestar says is true. Now is not the time to put blame, but a time to remember those that we have lost." The clearing grew silent after the new WindClan leader spoke.

Mistystar gazed over at Harestar, nodding her head. "Your words are filled with wisdom. StarClan has done well in giving you this opportunity to be leader." She then looked out towards the cats on the island. "I wish you all the best of luck. This will be RiverClan's last Gathering for the time being."

"What?" The WindClan leader looked over at her.

"RiverClan will take this time to rebuild. Every other Clan can make choices without us because now, RiverClan needs time to heal from the tragedy brought upon by the rogues. Starting tonight, RiverClan closes its borders." Gasps filled the island when the news was given. They watched as Mistystar leapt off of the branch she was on and nodded to her Clanmates.

"Wait! We need to discuss SkyClan!" Bramblestar called out.

Mistystar turned her head to look back at him. "Do what you want. It may have worked for ThunderClan, but be careful about letting more strange cats onto your land. You've seen the outcome of it." The cats all watched as Mistystar and the rest of her Clan left the island.

"This can't happen!"

"RiverClan would never do something like this!"

"Everyone, listen!" Leafpool called out. "Right now, RiverClan is like an injured cat. They want to tend to their wounds first before anything else. We need to let them, regardless of how bad that sounds. However, once they've healed, I assure you that they'll come back a stronger ally for us all." Bramblestar looked over at the medicine cat and let out a smile, grateful for her assuring words.

"What Leafpool says is true. Now, without RiverClan, it's important that we all work together. Thankfully, SkyClan has been brought back to join us." He looked over at Leafstar. "Leafstar, if you would please join the other leaders." As she began to make her way towards the Great Oak, Crowfeather got to his paws.

"No! She doesn't belong here! What do we know about SkyClan?" Suguha poked Nightheart with her tail.

"Is that really Leafpool's mate? They seem like polar opposites."

"That's what mother told me. It was a long time ago, after all, but I'm sure that they still have some feelings for each other."

"Right. Back during the Dark Forest battle he saved Lionblaze from Breezepelt." Ivypool told the two. "Being wary of SkyClan after the rogues is understandable. It may take a while for SkyClan to gain the trust of every Clan." The three looked towards ShadowClan when they heard mention of ThunderClan.

"Typical ThunderClan! Always keeping secrets from everyone else!" Strikestone spar.

"You all know of StarClan's prophecy! Why deny SkyClan?" He asked.

"Because they only asked for us to find them! They didn't say make them one of the Clans!" Scorchfur retorted.

"But they _are_ one of the Clans! They were lost so long ago and now StarClan wants them reunited with us!"

"We only have your word regarding them!" Crowfeather told him.

"StarClan sent us all a prophecy regarding SkyClan." Rowanstar began. "We'd be foolish to not listen to them."

"Right. Another Clan would make us stronger." Harestar nodded.

"We were stronger before them!" The WindClan deputy complained.

"They belong here with us!" Bramblestar flicked his tail towards Leafstar. "Come up here and join us, please." She nodded and continued her ascent of the Great Oak until she was seated next to the other leaders. She cleared her throat before she began.

"SkyClan knows that you all are wary of us, but make no mistake in saying that we are like the rogues. Darktail killed plenty of our Clanmates back in the gorge where we used to live. He lived amongst us and then ended up driving us out of our own territory. Sadly, we did not realize how malicious he was until it was too late." All the cats in the clearing were silent once again after hearing Leafstar's story.

Suddenly, Sparkpelt got to her paws, ready to speak. "I understand that SkyClan has suffered so much from the rogues, but…why can't they go back to their own home now? The rogues are gone and they can now live in peace. We lived without them before, so why do we need them now? If they were to stay, who's going to give up territory for them?" Suguha looked around and could hear other cats agreeing with her. Was there really only a few cats who believed that SkyClan should stay around the lake with them? She saw Tigerheart leap over to where the leaders were and he shared a quick word with his father before turning to face the rest of the Clans.

"There's no doubt that StarClan wanted us to find SkyClan. I'm not sure of their true motives, but I think there's more to it than just needing them to help us 'clear the sky'. I believe that StarClan wanted to bring the five Clans back together and now, we'll find strength when we need it the most." He stated.

"Okay, but who is going to give up territory for them?" Crowfeather questioned.

"We could." Tigerheart looked over at his father before turning back towards the Clans. "We've lost so many Clanmates, so we have less mouths to feed. Our Clan is damaged, and we'd honestly accept any sort of ally we can, and if that means giving SkyClan land, so be it."

Rowanstar looked over at Leafstar. "Will you accept our proposal?"

"Of course." She nodded, a hopeful smile on her face. "We are Clan cats, just like all of you. We share the same ancestors and would be glad to live amongst you all and become allies."

"Very well. You may have a piece of our territory that borders ThunderClan, with a narrow piece opening towards the lake."

"Oh thank you so much, Rowanstar! You don't know how much this means to SkyClan!" She bowed her head in thanks.

"Then it's settled. For tonight, why don't you stay with ThunderClan? ShadowClan can help you set up borders tomorrow." Bramblestar meowed. "This Gathering comes to an end. I wish every Clan the best of safety from now until the next Gathering." The leaders made their way down the Great Oak, followed by the deputies and medicine cats.

Suguha let out a sigh of relief as the ThunderClan cats all began to group together. "At least SkyClan gets to stay with the rest of the Clans."

"It's thanks to Tigerheart and Rowanstar." Nightheart meowed. "Are you still wary of him, mother?" She nodded.

"I don't think I ever won't be, but that doesn't mean that you can't appreciate what his does, Nightheart. You did bond a bit with him at past Gatherings being Dovewing's apprentice after all." The three noticed the Clan beginning to make its way off of the island.

"I guess the Clan's going to be filled for one more night." They turned around and saw that it was Asuna. "Hi you three."

"I feel like it's obvious, but how do you feel about SkyClan, Asuna?" Nightheart asked.

"Me? Well, I feel like this is where they belong. They were once a part of the Clans before, and StarClan worked so hard for us to find them." She replied. "Still, I can't believe that Sparkpelt feels that way about them. Alderheart was so worried the entire time she was talking."

"I can imagine. They're siblings, after all." Nightheart meowed.

"Have you and Kirito ever disagreed on something like that?" Ivypool wondered.

"I wouldn't say we've ever done so on such a large scale as SkyClan. Usually it's just something small."

"Are you four coming?" They looked and saw that it was Bramblestar standing near the tree bridge. The four she-cats rushed over and made their way back to ThunderClan.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Noctis sat beside Alderheart, Violetpaw, Lelouch and Kirito in the clearing the next morning, the early morning sun just shining past the trees. They were waiting for Ivypool and Twigpaw to return to camp to hear the results from her warrior assessment.

"Are you really worried about her?" Kirito asked the medicine cat. "She's a great apprentice with a great mentor. She'll be fine."

"I know. I guess it's just the anticipation to hear the good news."

"Right. Then could you stop digging your claws into the ground so much?" Noctis wondered. Alderheart looked down and just noticed that he was doing so.

"Sorry!" He apologized, shaking the dirt off of his paws. The four toms noticed the thorn barrier at the entrance to the camp rustle, Alderheart running towards it, followed by Violetpaw. The three toms followed behind and when they got there, Twigpaw and Ivypool passed through the barrier.

"How'd she do?" Violetpaw asked her sister's mentor.

"She passed." She purred in joy.

"You did it, Twigpaw!" The black and white she-cat meowed in excitement.

"You deserve it." Alderheart added.

"Yup! Right after, why don't we go hunting?" Kirito suggested, causing Noctis to give him a small shove.

"It's not gonna work, Kirito. You'll never be on the top of her list anymore now that I'm around."

"Thanks, everyone." Twigpaw meowed, but she didn't seem as excited as the others.

"C'mon, we have to go tell Hawkwing!" The two sisters left to find their father, Lelouch turning to look at Ivypool, joy in her eyes.

"You did it, Ivypool. One apprentice down, more to go."

"I know! When are you getting one for yourself, Lelouch?" She asked her mate.

"Blossomfall's kits still have some growing to do, and Lionblaze and Cinderheart are expecting another litter. I might wait a while though, you know, after our planned kits are grown enough." He replied. "You seem more excited than Twigpaw, Ivypool. Did something happen during her assessment?"

"Not that I know of. She did everything eloquently. I'm just so proud of her." She replied. "Oh, I have to go tell Bramblestar. I'll see you later." She gave the tom a lick on the cheek before heading towards Highledge. _Something's up with Twigpaw…and I think I might have an idea._ He noticed the entrance suddenly become flooded by the SkyClan cats. They were ready to leave. He moved out of the way to give them some room, and the others did the same. After talking with Ivypool, Bramblestar leaped down from the Highledge and approached Leafstar.

"Good luck. A ShadowClan patrol will meet you at the border. Would you like an escort?" Leafstar shook her head.

"We can manage. Again, thank you for everything that you and your Clan has done for us, Bramblestar."

"It's no trouble at all. If you ever need anything—." Bramblestar stopped when he noticed Twigpaw's stare lock onto him. "Twigpaw?"

"I have something to say." She meowed. "I wanted to thank you for taking care of me. I will always cherish the time I've had here, and all the knowledge I've gained…but I don't think that I want to be a ThunderClan warrior. My place is in SkyClan…with my kin."

"W-What?" Ivypool broke her way through the crowd. "Are you serious, Twigpaw?" She nodded.

"I'll always be thankful for everything you've taught me, Ivypool. You'll always be the first mentor I've ever had, no matter what." Lelouch walked over to the silver and white tabby and placed his tail on her shoulder.

"Ivypool, you know that this was a hard choice for Twigpaw to make. Her family means so much to her."

"I know…I guess I'm just shocked is all." She replied.

"Twigpaw, ThunderClan respects your decision. You will always be welcome here." He told her. Bramblestar's amber gaze looked towards Noctis. "The same goes for you too, Noctis." The tom let out a chuckle.

"Who told you I'd be leaving with her?"

"I have ears, you know." The leader replied with a smile.

"Right." He walked over so that he was next to Twigpaw. "Sorry everyone, but we've been through a lot. Wherever she goes, I go." Twigpaw pressed her head onto the tom's coat.

"May StarClan light both of your paths." Bramblestar nodded his head. "We hope to see SkyClan at the next Gathering." Leafstar gave the ThunderClan leader a nod before she led her Clan out through the thorn tunnel and towards their new territory

* * *

I hope that this chapter was worth the wait. I'd like to somewhat apologize for how this series has gone. I feel like I've been relying too much on the actual books when writing the story for these. I admit that it does feel lazy, but after starting it off like this, I had to continue. I do enjoy just adding a crossover twist to the series, don't get me wrong, but I would like to know how some of you feel about it. I'm going to continue this up until Book 6 of A Vision of Shadows, but once that's over, there's definitely going to be a gap for when the next Warriors series releases, so maybe during the off time I'll make Everlasting Miracles III follow my own curated story line.

Anyway, that's all for this end A/N. 'Till next chapter.


	2. Chapter 2: The Dark Sky

Chapter 2: The Dark Sky

 _Noctis sat down by_ the fresh-kill pile, a mouse between his paws. He had been in SkyClan for three days already, the camp slowly starting to resemble one. He had woken up after Twigpaw had left with Dewpaw and Finpaw, two of the other SkyClan apprentices. They went out to fetch some twigs to help structure the camp. _I should probably finish this mouse faster so I can help them._ He thought. As he was about to go in for another bite of his mouse, he heard Dewpaw yelling as he ran into camp.

"Someone! Anyone! Help!" Noctis left his mouse and walked over to the apprentice.

"Is something wrong? Where's Twigpaw?" He asked.

"She went over to get Puddleshine. It's Finpaw! A branch fell on his tail and he can't move!" He cried.

"Lead the way and we'll follow, Dewpaw." Noctis told the tom. Nobody volunteered yet, but he assumed some cats would go without question. The apprentice began running, Noctis following behind him. Hawkwing, Fallowfern, Sandynose, Blossomheart, and Macgyver followed, Plumwillow immediately running up beside Noctis. _Right, Finpaw's her son. She must be worried sick._ The group kept following Dewpaw until they reached the site of the incident. Plumwillow ran to his side and crouched beside him.

"Don't worry, Finpaw. Everything will be okay, I promise." Noctis walked over to the branch and tried giving it a push. _Damn, it won't move. I could easily push this off if I was a human, I know that much._ The others tried helping him, but still, it didn't budge.

"Any ideas?" He looked around, and when he did, he noticed Twigpaw, followed by Puddleshine. The medicine cat walked over to the side of the trapped apprentice.

"Are you okay? Does anything else hurt?" He asked, but didn't receive an answer. Noctis saw that his eyes almost looked lifeless. "He's in shock. Can someone warm him?" Plumwillow moved closer to her son. "The branch wouldn't move at all?" He looked at the warriors.

"I could try one more thing, but if we all couldn't push it, I doubt it'll work."

"Please do, Noctis." Plumwillow urged him. Noctis walked close to the branch and raised a paw up, a transparent sword in front of him. It then changed to a greatsword before disappearing, Noctis' paws now glowing.

"I'll need some help again." He told the other warriors, the cats now lining up in front of the branch. "Okay, everyone ready?" They nodded. "Alright, push!" They all leaned forward shoulder first into the branch, but still, it didn't move, even with Noctis' increased strength. When they stopped, Noctis began panting for his breath as he switched back to his default sword movement. "Dammit…I thought it would work…"

"It's okay." Puddleshine meowed. "I need someone to fetch me a sharp stone. The only way he's getting out is if I cut him free." Dread filled Sandynose and Plumwillow's gaze. "I know it's hard, but the shock will kill him if we keep stalling." Noctis stepped away from the group and saw Twigpaw next to her father.

"Hi Noct…" She softly meowed, her voice trembling. "I-Is Finpaw going to be okay? Are they really going to have to cut his tail?"

"Yeah…but I'm sure he'll be fine afterwards." He assured her. She moved away from her father and pressed closed to the black tom's side.

"Noctis, can you take her back to camp?" She looked up at her father.

"But…what about Finpaw?"

"He'll be okay. You seem shocked as well. Go get some rest." He looked at Noctis, the tom nodding his head.

"Let's go, Twigpaw." Noctis pushed the she-cat softly until she began to follow him. As they were walking, Finpaw let out a gasp, causing her to look back. Noctis immediately brought her face back forward with his tail. The incident was the last thing Twigpaw needed to hear, so the two stayed silent until they made it back to camp.

At the entrance, Violetpaw met up with them. "Hi you two. Where did everyone go?" Both she and Rabbitleap were confused when they returned back from hunting.

"It's Finpaw. His tail is stuck under a branch." He informed the two.

"That's terrible. If only Echosong or Frecklewish were here…" Rabbitleap meowed.

"What happened?" Leafstar joined the group. "I smell fear-scent. Is everything okay?" Noctis could feel Twigpaw shivering.

"Rabbitleap can tell you. I need to get Twigpaw to the apprentice's den." Noctis meowed.

"Is she okay?"

"Did she get hurt, too?" Violetpaw asked.

"She's fine. She just needs some rest, that's all." Twigpaw followed the tom to the apprentice's den and she curled into her nest, Noctis resting down close to her to keep her warm. "He'll be okay, Twigpaw." He assured her with a lick to the ear. Violetpaw walked in and took some moss from her nest, giving it to Noctis.

"I know you're probably good enough, but this'll help her." Noctis placed the moss over her, the tom smiling as she snuggled deeper into her nest. "You both have been through so much, huh?"

"Yeah. The journey to find SkyClan really was something. I've grown fond of her ever since." He replied.

"You're just like how Needletail was to me. I'm glad she was able to find a cat like that. Thanks for taking care of her."

"It's nothing. Just think of me as your older brother or something like that. I'll try to keep you both safe."

"I don't think the brother part will sit well with Twigpaw." Violetpaw said, letting out a small giggle. Leafstar made her way through the branches and into the den.

"How is she?"

"Warm now. She'll be fine." Noctis said.

"That's a relief." Violetpaw looked over at the leader.

"Leafstar…Rabbitleap mentioned Echosong and Frecklewish. Who are they?"

"SkyClan's past medicine cats. Echosong died before Noctis and Twigpaw found us…and we haven't seen Frecklewish even before we left the gorge. We don't even know if she's still alive." Leafstar pondered on the thought. "Maybe it's time we find our lost Clanmates."

"Can I go?" Violetpaw asked.

"It's too soon to decide who goes. I know how excited you must be to find more of your Clanmates, but for now, we need to take everything one pawstep at a time."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Alderheart walked slowly over to the fresh-kill pile, his stomach growling. He had been working with Jayfeather all day, and although he was tasked to go look for comfrey, he was starving. He looked down at the pile and saw that it hadn't been restocked yet. _Looks like the hunting patrols haven't returned yet._ He thought as he grabbed the one mouse left. He looked towards the apprentice's den and let out a sigh. Despite Twigpaw and Noctis leaving for SkyClan a half-moon ago, it became a habit for him to look for either one of them from time to time.

"You miss Twigpaw, don't you?" Alderheart jumped a bit and turned around to see that it was Suguha. "Sorry! I didn't mean to startle you!"

"N-No, it's okay, Suguha, really!" He looked down at his mouse. "Did you want it? I could take the sparrow instead…or we could share."

"You had it first, Alderheart. I think I'll be fine with the sparrow." She walked over to the bird and grabbed it.

"Hi you two." They looked over and saw that it was Leafpool. "We're just doing some laps. Briarlight's gotten faster. I'm so proud of her." The she-cat let out a small laugh.

"Don't be ridiculous. You've just gotten slower, Leafpool." The cats shared a quick laugh. Leafpool looked over at the prey in front of the two.

"The hunting patrols should be back soon."

"It's okay. I'd hate to waste prey. I rather take it and leave the new fresh-kill for the others." He replied.

"That's nice of you, Alderheart. I was feeling bad about taking the last piece, but I feel a bit better now." Suguha meowed.

"Thanks, but I'm really just so hungry right now. Anything will do."

"Well we'll leave you both to that. C'mon Briarlight, one more lap. Try not to stop this time."

"Me? You're the one talking to every cat you pass by!"

"Okay, that may be true, but we spent so much time talking with Lelouch and Ivypool, and I know that wasn't my fault." Suguha and Alderheart laughed at the she-cat's sudden embarrassment.

"D-Don't you both have prey to eat?"

"Sorry, Briarlight." Alderheart apologized before the two picked up their prey. "There's a spot over there." He meowed, his voice muffled by the mouse in his jaws. As the two walked, they passed by the nursery. Blossomfall and Daisy were resting nearby, while Kirito and Asuna were playing with Blossomfall's kits.

"Can I get a badger ride, Kirito? Please?" Plumkit begged, pawing at the tom's leg.

"Me too!" Stemkit walked over to where her sister was.

"I want one!"

"Badger ride!" Shellkit and Eaglekit joined the two, Asuna letting out a giggle.

"Okay you four. I'm sure there's enough room for you all."

"Sorry, back…" Kirito muttered before Asuna gave him a small shove.

"You act like you don't sleep most of the day when you're not hunting! If the kits want a badger ride, they want a badger ride, Kirito." Asuna began placing the kits on her boyfriend's back one by one.

"Yay! I get to be in front!" Plumkit cheered.

"No fair! You were on front last time!" Eaglekit complained. Now, the four all began to complain, Kirito feeling their small paws wriggle around.

"Don't worry you four; Kirito's going to take you around camp four times. Each of you will get a turn being first." The four cheered. Asuna gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You'll live."

"I hope so. Asuna, I really don't think you realize how heavy these four actually are."

"I know, but the kits love you so much. At least do it for them."

"C'mon Kirito, can we go already?" Shellkit asked. Asuna looked at Kirito before he let out a small smile.

"Okay you four, just try and hold on." Kirito began to walk around camp, slowly swinging his body back and forth as he walked, wails of joy coming from the kits.

"They're so cute." Suguha meowed with the sparrow still in her mouth. Alderheart replied with a simple nod and the two continued walking until they reached the area near the Highledge. The two began eating, and as they did, Alderheart noticed Sparkpelt and Larksong together. Dewnose and Ambermoon were sweeping leaves away from the clearing, but stopped and looked at the two.

"Are you both going to help?" Ambermoon asked, a hint of irritation in her meow.

"Sorry…Larksong keeps distracting me." Sparkpelt looked over at the tom with a smile.

"It looks like your sister's going to stop fawning over Lelouch and Kazuto now." Suguha meowed in between her bites.

"I wish she didn't." He muttered in displeasure. "With them, it'd just be a crush or something, but now she's flirting with Larksong. She's not going to be focused."

"Your sister's an amazing warrior, Alderheart. I'm sure finding love won't change that." He let out a sigh.

"I guess you're right. I'm just so used to seeing her being hard-working, but cocky at the same time. I've seen her flustered from Kirito or Lelouch, but this is a side of her I've never seen."

"You might need to get used to it." Alderheart took another bite of his mouse. _Maybe it's just because I'm still mad about her talking at the Gathering._ As the two were eating, they heard Ivypool let out a small laugh nearby as she was talking with Lelouch.

"You? In the nursery? You just love being the first for everything, don't you, Lelouch?"

"Well, I'm just saying that I can take over taking care of our kits after they don't need you to nurse them anymore." The two looked over at Kirito with Blossomfall's kits on his back as they passed by. "I want to be able to know how it felt raising Nightheart, and what better way to do it than by being in the nursery?"

"I'm sure no cat will complain…but I still want to spend time with our kits."

"Of course. We can alternate every day."

"If you say so…but don't get jealous if they're asking for me while you're in the nursery."

"I should be telling you the same thing." Ivypool let out a loving purr as she nuzzled the tom's ear.

"I love you, Lelouch."

"I know you do." Ivypool gave the tom a shove. "Ow!"

"Where's my 'I love you too, Ivypool'?" Lelouch let out a small laugh.

"You know I was just kidding. I love you too, Ivypool…but not as much as I love Nightheart."

"That's okay. I love her more than I love you, too." She giggled.

"Those two are so cute together." Suguha meowed. "I hope I'm still here with Ivypool's second litter comes. Oh, and Cinderheart and Lionblaze are expecting kits soon!"

"Yeah. I'm sure you and Kirito would make amazing mentors, too, maybe Asuna as well if she's allowed to." He said. "Lelouch was partially my sister's mentor, but those kits would be the first mentored by cats from another world. I'm sure my father wouldn't mind picking you both."

"If it means we'll stay here longer, I'm sure we wouldn't mind one bit." Alderheart could feel his chest slowly tighten. He knew that Suguha, Asuna, and Kirito had been here for moons, but every time there was some mention of them staying here longer, it always reminded him that they weren't normally warriors and that they might leave at one point. "Alderheart?"

"Y-Yeah?" He saw the concern in her green eyes. "Sorry, Suguha. Just thinking about something." As he was about to take another bite of his mouse, he saw Violetpaw at the entrance to the camp, Hawkwing beside her. Nightheart, Sorrelstripe, Bumblestripe, and Fernsong had escorted them over. The two left their prey and approached the group of cats.

"Hi you two." Nightheart greeted. "We found Violetpaw and Hawkwing on our border. They needed to speak with Bramblestar about something."

"Are Twigpaw and Noct with you?" Alderheart looked at the two SkyClan cats.

"She's busy with her training, and Noctis is out hunting with the others." Violetpaw told him.

"Training? But she already passed her assessment."

"Her ThunderClan assessment." Hawkwing pointed out. "SkyClan cats are trained differently, so Leafstar thinks that she and Violetpaw need to be trained from the ground up."

"I guess that makes sense. At least you both have some sort of training, so it shouldn't be that hard to get your warrior names." Suguha meowed. They heard pawsteps from behind them and saw that it was Bramblestar, followed curiously by Lionblaze, Brackenfur, Cherryfall, and Molewhisker.

"Hello, Hawkwing. Is something wrong?"

"Everything's fine, Bramblestar. I come here with a request." He stated. "Leafstar believes that now's the time to go look for the Clanmates that we lost. We were wondering if you could lend a warrior or two, preferably one who has already been to the gorge before and knows the way." Bramblestar shook his head.

"Some of us do know the route there, but leaf-bare is approaching. We need all the cats we can to search for fresh-kill."

"That's why we need to go now. Would you want your Clanmates lost in the cold, possibly dying?" Molewhisker stepped next to the ThunderClan leader.

"I know the way there. So does Cherryfall, Sparkpelt, Kirito, Asuna, Suguha, Lelouch, and Nightheart." He meowed.

"I do, too!" Alderheart added, but Bramblestar immediately flicked his tail.

"Jayfeather needs you here to help stock herbs with Asuna and Leafpool." He said.

"I could go." Molewhisker volunteered. Nightheart looked at the tom indignantly.

"Really? Out of all the cats, you want to go?"

"It would be an honor to help lead them to the gorge." He looked back at his sister.

"Very well." Bramblestar looked over at Hawkwing. "Molewhisker will guide you. Whenever you're ready to leave, let us know."

"Thank you, Bramblestar." He bowed his head. "Come on, Violetpaw."

"Right! Thank you so much! We'll tell Noct and Twigpaw that you said hi, Alderheart!" The medicine cat smiled as the SkyClan cats left. Alderheart noticed the bewilderment in Nightheart's gaze as she, Fernsong, and Sorrelstripe joined him and Suguha.

"He's only _helping_ to get rid of SkyClan, I know it." Nightheart meowed.

"That's what I was thinking, too, Nightheart." The medicine cat replied. "I still can't believe that he wants to get rid of them that badly." He looked over at the siblings. "Please tell me you both feel like they belong here with the other Clans."

"Well…" Fernsong looked around camp. "They _are_ a Clan. I think it just will take everyone getting used to a fifth Clan being here with us."

"Right. Our Clan has gone through so much in regards to finding SkyClan. Maybe the others feel like they were just meant to help us drive the rogues out." Sorrelstripe stated.

"You sure you're not just saying that so Lelouch likes you more?" Fernsong teased, his sister's face growing hot.

"P-Positive!"

"Don't worry, Sorrelstripe. I'm sure father wouldn't be mean to you. We are best friends, after all."

"Ever since we were kits. Hopefully that doesn't change."

"Don't forget about me and Hollytuft!" Fernsong interjected.

"Hollytuft, yes, but I don't know about you, Fernsong. Most of the time it was your fault that I got in trouble with mother." Nightheart said with a laugh.

"Hey, you didn't have to go through with all those dares!" He responded. "Besides, your mom's not the only who was on your tail when you got in trouble." Alderheart let out a smile. _Hopefully Twigpaw and Violetpaw have enough time to make memories like these three did. After all they've been through, they deserve some sort of reprieve._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Asuna sat beside the Moonpool with Leafpool. Alderheart and Jayfeather were at the entrance to the hollow, waiting for Mothwing and Willowshine. The two walked back, worry in Alderheart's eyes.

"They're not coming. Let's just get this over with." Jayfeather meowed.

"Wait…" Puddleshine interjected. "We have to discuss something important first. It's regarding SkyClan."

"What's wrong?"

"They don't have a medicine cat. I had to help them the other day."

"Was it Tinycloud?" Alderheart asked, worry in his meow.

"It was Finpaw. A branch fell on his tail. We couldn't move it off…so I had to cut him free."

"What?!" Asuna was shocked. "That's terrible. Is he okay?"

"Yeah. I managed to cut through with no trouble. There was no signs of infection, thank StarClan, but I've been coming every day to check up on him and address the wound. They need a medicine cat, especially if they want Tinycloud's kitting to go smoothly."

"I could go." Alderheart volunteered.

"I don't think so." Jayfeather quickly stated. "Bramblestar said you'd be staying to help me collect herbs before leaf-bare, remember?" Alderheart let out a sigh. _Sometimes I wish his hearing wasn't as good as it was._ "Asuna and Leafpool have worked with ShadowClan to help train Puddleshine, so I think one of them should go."

"I can do it." Asuna offered, but Leafpool placed her tail on the she-cat's shoulder.

"You helped train Puddleshine for the most part. You should stay in ThunderClan so you can still spend time with Kirito and Suguha." She insisted. "I'll be happy to help SkyClan."

"Okay, sounds good. Now, let's begin." Kestrelflight mewed. The medicine cats all walked over to the edge of the Moonpool, their noses meeting with the shimmering water.

Asuna's eyes opened and she was welcomed by a bright sunlight, grass below her paws. She looked around and saw that the other medicine cats were there along with her.

"Is this StarClan? It's usually night when I come here." She meowed.

"It has to be…but where are the others?" Puddleshine wondered as he looked around for the fallen warriors. In the distance, they saw a group of cats basking in the sunlight, while another group seemed to be hunting.

"Come, let's go over to them." Leafpool suggested.

"That won't be necessary." They all turned around and saw that it was Firestar. Asuna smiled at the sight of the tom. He was the one who guided her when she first got here, telling her that she'd become both a medicine cat and a warrior at the same time. She was glad that she didn't let him down. She looked behind him and saw other cats from all Clans following behind.

"Where's Mothwing and Willowshine?" Asuna saw one cat beside Firestar speak. He seemed to have a crooked jaw. She had never seen him before.

"That's Crookedstar. He's one of RiverClan's past leaders." Leafpool greeted him with a dip of her head.

"They would be here, but RiverClan has closed their borders for the time being." She explained.

"This isn't good…" Firestar mewed. "You have to get RiverClan to join the Clans once again as soon as possible."

Kestrelflight looked at the ThunderClan leader. "WindClan was just like them. In time, I know they'll come back."

"I understand, but there may be no time to wait for that to happen." As he was about to explain, Leafpool let out a gasp, her eyes locked onto a black she-cat. "Hollyleaf!" She ran over to her daughter and the two touched cheeks. Asuna had heard stories about her, but she never had the chance to meet her. She walked over to the two, Hollyleaf's green eyes looking over at her.

"Hi. You must be Asuna."

"Yes. It's nice to finally meet you, Hollyleaf."

"This is the cat Jayfeather likes, right?" She asked her mother, a small blush on Asuna's face.

"W-Well I didn't exactly try to get him to fall for me!"

"I'm sure you didn't, but if Jayfeather likes you, you must be a really nice cat." The black she-cat mewed with a giggle. "Jayfeather, come over here!" The gray medicine cat walked over to join them, and he let out a sigh.

"Let me take a guess about—."

"How pretty do you think Asuna is?"

"H-Hollyleaf!" Asuna stammered. In StarClan, Jayfeather was able to see, and he had seen Asuna a few times, which strengthened his feelings for her even more. Their eyes touched, Jayfeather's face burning with embarrassment.

"I'm really sorry about her. Usually she isn't this annoying." He apologized. He then looked over at Leafpool. "Did you tell her?"

"Sorry, Jayfeather." She replied, a small smile on her face.

"You didn't answer my question, Jayfeather." Hollyleaf meowed. "It's the least you can do for me. I don't see you all that often."

"Isn't knowing that I like her enough?" Leafpool placed a tail on her daughter's shoulder.

"You both can talk some other time. We should head back over to where Firestar is."

"Right." Jayfeather was the first to walk away.

"Sorry for unintentionally teasing you, Asuna. That was meant for Jayfeather."

"Don't worry, I know. Hopefully we can talk again soon, Hollyleaf. Maybe you'll be able to meet Kirito and Suguha, too."

"I'd like that." Asuna left Leafpool to talk with her daughter and found a spot next to Alderheart.

"How was meeting Hollyleaf?" Alderheart asked.

"She seems like a cat I'd easily get along with. I also feel like she and Kirito would get along a little too much." The tom let out a chuckle. "Oh, Firestar isn't mad for us walking away from his announcement, is he?"

"Not at all." Asuna jumped a bit when she just realized that the tom was only pawsteps away from them.

"I didn't see you there, Firestar!"

"Well that's a bit rude." He meowed, letting out a laugh. "I'm only joking, Asuna. The other cats have also taken off to speak with their fallen Clanmates, so it's alright. How have you been?"

"I'm doing great, thank you for asking. I've been in this world for so long, it honestly is starting to feel like home." She replied. "How are you and Sandstorm?"

"Great. It hurt when I first saw her here because I knew she died, but we're happy together again." He gazed through the clearing and saw that the other medicine cats were still talking. "I understand how joyous you all feel talking with each other once again, but we have important news to share." The other medicine cats quickly ended their conversations and sat near the ThunderClan leader. "Now, I want to start by congratulating you all on helping SkyClan find their place with the rest of the Clans." He nodded his head towards a silver tabby, who Alderheart explained was Echosong, SkyClan's past medicine cat.

"I want to give my thanks for welcoming my Clan amongst your own. It really means a lot to me. However…that doesn't mean that peace has been achieved just yet. There are still many challenges along the way, not just for my Clan, but all the Clans. The decisions you make now will not only affect the present, but affect the Clans forever. Remember this:" Her green gaze touched every medicine cats'. "The dark sky must not herald a storm." Asuna looked over at Alderheart, but he seemed just as confused, the same could be said for the other medicine cats as well. She then watched as they all began to disappear from her view, and her vision faded to black.

Asuna quickly drew her nose away from the Moonpool when she came back to reality. The other medicine cats looked at each other, Jayfeather letting out an irritated growl.

"Another prophecy! Let's just get back and tell our leaders. They'll figure something out."

"We can't! If we did, SkyClan wouldn't have ever been found." Alderheart meowed.

"Right. We'll all think about it first together before taking any sort of action. Who knows? Maybe another sign will come, but there definitely won't be another one right now." The medicine cats all nodded in agreement. "Very well. We'll see you two again next time." She told Puddleshine and Kestrelflight before they began the trip back to ThunderClan.

"The dark sky must not herald a storm…" Asuna repeated the new prophecy. "Something about it doesn't sit right with me…"

"Yeah. It definitely is a caution of some sort of possible danger…but we need to figure out its causation." Alderheart said.

"We can talk about this all some other time. Let's get home. I'm tired." The blind medicine cat complained. As they continued walking, Asuna couldn't deviate from the worry in her mind. _A dark sky? A storm? Kirito, Suguha, and I were originally brought here to 'clear the sky', but it seems like we may have one final task to help the Clans with before we can return home._


	3. Chapter 3: Future

Chapter 3: Future

 _Hey, could you pass_ me a piece of moss, Twigpaw?" Noctis asked. It had been two days ever since Violetpaw and Hawkwing went on the patrol to look for SkyClan cats at the gorge. Right now, the two were in the apprentice's den, fixing up the nests there.

"Oh…sorry Noct, I'm all out. Dewpaw should be coming soon, though."

"You called?" The tom walked inside the den and dropped the pile of moss that he collected. "Our nests are going to be the best here! You must be feeling pretty jealous, Noct."

"Really? Maybe I should be bringing some of this moss over to the warriors' den then."

"Oh no you don't!" The black tom let out a chuckle.

"I'm only kidding." He grabbed a piece of moss and patted it down into the nest he was building. "How's this one look?" He stepped aside to show them the nest he made. Dewpaw walked over and rested down on it.

"Calling this one right now. Nice job, Noct." He praised the older tom. "What do you think, Twigpaw?" Noctis looked over at her and saw that there was no response.

"Twigpaw." He called, causing her to shake her head.

"Yes?"

"Something wrong?" He asked, padding over to her.

"I was thinking about bringing some of this moss over to Finpaw." She meowed. "I think he'd really appreciate it right now."

"It wouldn't hurt to bring him some. Right, Dewpaw?"

"That's if he'd like to see you." He scoffed. "My own brother's full of self-pity right now. He should be here with us helping with the nests…but instead he's…" Dewpaw let out a sigh, but then turned his gaze towards Twigpaw. "Maybe he wouldn't mind seeing you, Twigpaw."

"M-Me?"

"Who else? You're the one who pulled him away from the falling branch."

"Yeah…but not fast enough."

"It was fast enough so that he wouldn't lose his whole tail. You did your best, Twigpaw." Noctis gave her a small pat on the head.

"I guess I could try."

"Guess? You were just talking about wanting to bring some moss over to him." A sly smile crossed Dewpaw's face. "Oh, you like him, don't you?"

"I do not!" The she-cat denied, becoming flustered. "I haven't even known him that long! We're just friends!"

"No, _we're_ just friends. You definitely act differently around him."

"So…I followed you over to SkyClan only to be dethroned, huh?" Noctis meowed.

"N-No! That's not true at all!" She stammered. _Being teased about Finpaw and Noctis at the same time isn't fun at all!_ "Gosh, even when I know you're joking you still get to me, Noct."

"Hey, that's on you, not me." He responded. "Why don't you go bring that moss to Finpaw? I'll help the apprentices here while you're gone…unless you want me to go with you."

"I-I'll be fine on my own! Y'know, you're the one who's always following me. I don't ask for it!"

"But you don't mind it one bit though, right?" He let out a teasing smile, causing her to blush.

"Okay, I'm going now, bye!" Twigpaw left the apprentices' den, leaving the two toms to work on the nests while they waited for Reedpaw to return from collecting materials.

"Do you think she likes Finpaw, Noct?" Dewpaw asked before grabbing a piece of moss.

"Definitely. I'll probably back off sticking to her once he's healed up. I'm sure she'd appreciate the alone time." He meowed. "You know, that means Violetpaw's the only apprentice left here."

"Are you implying that I like her?" Dewpaw asked in shock. "I've barely spent any time around her anyway. Besides, she's a bit too serious at times." The apprentice padded down the nest he was working on. "You've been here for a bit, Noct. Find any SkyClan cat you like?"

"No. Luna's the only one I'll ever feel that way about. I still don't know how Lelouch developed feelings for Ivypool. Sure, she's nice, but she's a cat and he normally isn't." The two saw Reedpaw walk into the den, her brother letting out a sigh.

"It's about time you showed up!"

"Well excuse me for finding so much moss! I had to leave some of it out because it's still wet." She replied. "Where's Twigpaw?"

"She's trying to cheer Finpaw up."

"Let's hope that works. Ever since the incident he hasn't been himself. I understand why, but…it just hurts to see him like that. He's our brother, after all." Noctis felt remorse for the two apprentices. He didn't have any siblings, but his best friends were almost like brothers to him.

"He'll be better you two, especially with Twigpaw helping him. I promise."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Alderheart, Jayfeather, and Asuna made their way towards the lake. Alderheart's paws hit the ground heavily in irritation. They had told Bramblestar about the prophecy, but he didn't want to do anything about it until they got another message from StarClan to clarify it.

"I can't believe my father won't do anything about the prophecy!"

"Alderheart, Bramblestar's the leader. He's the one who makes the decisions. We just advise him with any news StarClan has for us." Jayfeather told him.

"Even if he's wrong about it? We wouldn't have found SkyClan if Twigpaw didn't run off." He replied.

"I know you're upset, but I agree with Jayfeather." Asuna meowed. "Right now, the prophecy is too vague. We were lucky to have you dream about SkyClan at the time."

"You too, Asuna?" Alderheart felt betrayed. Sure, he could see where they were coming from, but a message from StarClan should immediately be followed by some sort of action being taken.

The day before, the three of them asked for Bramblestar to send messengers to each camp so that they could update each other on the prophecy and their leader's course of action. They broke through the final row of trees and saw the lake shimmering in front of them. Beside it, they saw that Kestrelflight and Puddleshine were already there, standing on the shore beside SkyClan's border. The approached the two other medicine cats, who both greeted them with a simple nod.

"Hi you two. Did Harestar and Rowanstar say anything about the prophecy?" Alderheart asked.

"Rowanstar thinks that the dark sky might mean SkyClan, so he's stepped up patrols along the border we share." Puddleshine meowed.

"What? StarClan was happy that we brought them back. They can't be it." The dark ginger tom replied.

"That's true. If the storm means starting conflict, then maybe stepping up patrols isn't the best idea." Kestrelflight agreed. "I wish I could say Harestar didn't do something similar, though. The skies have been dark for the past few moons, so he's also put out more patrols."

"At least _they're_ actually doing something and taking it seriously." The two looked at him in confusion.

"Bramblestar is making us wait and see what's going to happen." Asuna told them.

"That might be the better course, to be honest. Tension between the Clans is the last thing we want." Puddleshine replied. Jayfeather looked around and tasted the air.

"Leafpool's nowhere nearby. It's not like her to miss something like this. Let's go into SkyClan and get her." He suggested. The others agreed and began their walk into SkyClan territory, Alderheart taking the lead. He had helped Leafpool bring some herbs as she made the transition to their stand-in medicine cat. They walked up a slope with stones clustered at the top, and then moved downhill until they reached the cedar groves that signaled SkyClan's camp. They traced along the fern wall until they found the entrance, the cats ducking thought and making their way inside.

"Alderheart?" Leafstar made her way towards the medicine cats, surprised to see them.

"Sorry for coming without permission. We just needed to speak with Leafpool about the prophecy." He told her.

"Speaking of which, we were also wondering what your opinion was on it." Jayfeather added.

"My opinion? As of now, I haven't given it any thought. We're just getting settled and we'd much rather focus on that at the moment, especially with what little information Leafpool told me about it." The leader responded. From a hollow below one of the cedars, Leafpool walked out.

"Jayfeather!" She walked over to her son and they both touched muzzles. Her amber eyes then looked over at Asuna. "Are you keeping these two toms in line?"

"I'm doing my best. Alderheart usually always good, but Jayfeather's surprisingly been as good." She meowed, causing the blind tom to become flustered.

"Can we get back to why we're here?" His blind gaze touched his mother. "Did you forget about the meeting?"

"Oh no!" She shook her head. "I'm sorry…I've been busy helping here so much that I forgot about it."

"It's okay. You do have a lot to do here, especially with Tinycloud's kits and Finpaw's tail." He assured her. "I assume the kitting went by smoothly?"

"Yes. Two she-kits and a tom. They were just born before the group left."

"What about the prophecy? Do you have any thoughts about it at all?" Asuna looked over at Alderheart and could sense a hint of irritation, his forepaws hitting the ground impatiently. She placed her tail on his shoulder. He looked over at her, her hazel gaze enough to calm him down.

"I'm sorry. I've tried, but…there's just been so much to do." She apologized. As the medicine cats continued talking, Alderheart noticed a gray blur from the corner of his eye and turned to see that it was Twigpaw. She seemed to be playing with Finpaw. He was relieved that she felt at home here. When her green eyes noticed Alderheart, she ran towards the tom in joy, leaping across the small stream running through their camp with ease.

"Alderheart!" She pressed close to the tom. Asuna heard her voice and turned around, greeting her with a smile. "Asuna! It's so great to see you two! How are you both doing?"

"We're well. Just the usual medicine cat stuff." He meowed. "How about you? You seem to be settling in well."

"Yeah." She turned around and looked back at Finpaw. "Everything's great here. The other apprentices are so nice, and Noct is always around to keep me company if I need it."

"Speaking of him…where is he?" Asuna wondered, looking around camp. "He isn't sleeping, is he?"

"Surprisingly, no. I think he was actually helping Leafpool. Oh, there he is!" They looked over towards the same hollow that Leafpool walked out of and saw Noctis. He walked over and greeted the other medicine cats with a smile before approaching the three.

"So, you're actually helping in the medicine cat's den?" Alderheart asked, a small bit of humor in his meow.

"What? Oh, yeah. I try to help wherever it's needed." He told them. "Hi to you, too, Alderheart." The medicine cat gave the tom a playful shove. "Anyway, what are you all doing here?"

"Leafpool was supposed to meet up with us, but she says she's been so busy around here." Asuna meowed.

"Well that's definitely not a lie. She actually came to me asking for help. I can't believe you both actually do all that stuff. So much memorizing…"

"Maybe you could help over here when they find a medicine cat. Both you and Twigpaw have some knowledge on medicine." Alderheart told him.

"I think we're fine being warriors. Right, Twigpaw?" She nodded.

"Yup!" Alderheart smiled. He was glad to know that she was in good paws, although it meant not seeing either one of them as much as he'd like to.

"Actually, I'm surprised that I found you both here. You didn't go on the journey to the gorge?"

"These two wanted to stay and help rebuild SkyClan." Alderheart didn't notice Leafstar approach them. There seemed to be an annoyed tone in her meow, as if she didn't want him talking to them anymore.

"Twigpaw! Hurry up!" Finpaw called out.

"I'll be right there!" She turned back towards the medicine cats. "Hopefully I'll see you both soon!" She gave the two a quick nuzzle before running over to the apprentice.

"I think we should get going now, too." Asuna meowed. "Thank you for your time, Leafstar."

"You're welcome. If anything about the prophecy comes up, we'll let you know."

"We appreciate it." Alderheart said before looking over at Noctis. "We'll see you later, Noct."

"Yeah." Noctis turned when he heard Leafpool call his name. "Well, see ya'." The black tom ran over to the medicine cat's den while Alderheart and Asuna joined up with the other medicine cats.

"Leafpool's staying behind, so we can get going to RiverClan now." Jayfeather informed them. Asuna helped the blind tom find his way out of the camp, the rest of the cats following behind. Once they were out of the camp, Jayfeather stepped away from her side. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Asuna turned around, waiting for the others to catch up while Jayfeather continued walking. When Alderheart passed her, she continued walking. "Alderheart, can we talk?"

"Is this about what I think it is?"

"I think so." He let out a sigh. "I know how much you care about this prophecy, but you can't let it control how you act. It was a little thing with Leafpool, but…I just want to talk to you about it now before it possibly becomes a problem."

"Sorry, Asuna." He wasn't used to being scolded by the she-cat, but if she had to, usually it was for a good reason. To Alderheart, Asuna was one of the cats he respected the most, so he listened to her whenever he could. Noticing his sorrow, she gave the tom a lick to the ear.

"It's okay. I know you mean well, but we just got the prophecy a while ago. We'll figure it out together when the time comes."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Suguha, Kirito, Fernsong, and Lionblaze made their way through the forest, the starlit sky hanging above them. They were the last hunting patrol for today, tonight actually being Suguha's first time hunting while it was dark. It took some persuading from her cousin, but she finally decided to give it a try.

"I mean, I can still see well, but I still think I'd prefer some sort of light." She meowed as their paws brushed through the tall grass.

"It always feels different the first time, but after your first catch, you'll get into the flow of things." Fernsong assured her. His ears and nose twitched, the yellow tom slowly turning around. "There's a mouse over there. Do you see it?" She peered in his direction until she finally got sight of the small figure.

"I see it. So…I guess it's just the same as hunting normally, right?"

"Other than the chance that a huge owl can come and pick you up any moment from now…yeah, pretty much." Kirito joked, Lionblaze letting out a small chuckle. "No pressure, Suguha."

"Kazuto, I swear I'll claw your ears off." She growled. "The same goes for you, Lionblaze. Gosh, I never realized how alike you both were until now." Getting back on track, the light ginger she-cat slowly crept forward, easing the pressure she put on her paws with every step she took. Accidentally, she dragged one of her forepaws, causing the mouse's ears to twitch. It turned around and noticed Suguha, causing it to run away, the she-cat wasting no time in chasing it down. She quickly picked up speed and leaped forward, claws unsheathed, landing a killing blow on the prey. She grabbed it and made her way back to where the toms were.

"Nice catch, Suguha." Fernsong told her as she dropped it.

"It's wasn't that nice. I almost lost it. At least I was fast enough to catch it."

"Yeah, but we still have to catch something, too. You probably scared all the prey away." Lionblaze stated.

"Not my problem. That's what you both get for laughing at me." She shot a scary glare towards her cousin and Lionblaze.

"So…what about Fernsong?" Kirito questioned. "You kinda messed up his hunting tonight, too."

"The two of us could just work together to hunt." He suggested. "Kirito and my dad can go somewhere else, too." Lionblaze looked at his son mischievously. "What?"

"If you just wanted alone time with Suguha, you could've just said so." Both cats became flustered, Kirito letting out a laugh.

"Oh, that's why you've been being nice to her."

"T-That's not true at all!" He stammered. "Can we just get hunting already?"

"Alright. Kirito and I will take the north side of the territory, and you both take the south." Lionblaze meowed. "We'll meet up at the camp entrance in about twenty minutes. You two don't stay out for too long now." Kirito let out another snicker as he and Lionblaze made their way to their side of the territory.

"I'm really sorry about my dad, Suguha." Fernsong apologized.

"It's okay. Parents usually do that sort of thing." She meowed. "Besides, I think being with Kazuto brings out a more playful side in him. He's contagious, in a bad way sometimes." Fernsong chuckled. "Let's get going. I want to catch more prey than them so we have something to laugh about."

Suguha and Fernsong waited at the camp entrance for the other two toms to return. They had been successful hunting, the two each catching a pair of mice, while Fernsong was able to catch a vole.

"Six pieces of prey including the first mouse I got." Suguha meowed. "Hopefully none of the cats mind in the morning. There's not much birds out at night."

"Right. It might not be as fresh in the morning, but it definitely won't be bad." The tom replied. "Where are they? If they catch more than us, it's because they've been out longer." The three heard a rustling bush nearby and saw Lionblaze walk out, followed by Kirito. They seemed to both only catch one mouse each, causing the two to laugh.

"It looks like you two toms weren't so lucky tonight." Suguha said with a giggle.

"It's not even that we were hunting bad! If you snuck up on that mouse right we would've found more." Kirito complained.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Fernsong stepped aside and showed the two their pile of prey. "Looks like you both just had some bad luck tonight." Lionblaze let out a smile.

"You're welcome for giving you both the south side of the camp." He meowed. "But seriously, great job you two. Let's go drop this off at the fresh-kill pile and get some sleep." Kirito and Lionblaze helped bring their prey into camp and they dropped it off in the middle of camp. Squirrelflight nodded her head in thanks to the four before they entered the warriors' den. Lionblaze and Fernsong slept beside the rest of their family, while Kirito found a spot beside Asuna. Suguha carefully rested down in her nest next to Nightheart, the she-cat fast asleep. Resting her head on her paws, she slowly closed her green eyes before drifting off to sleep.

Suguha's eyes shot open. She felt like she had just fallen asleep only minutes ago, but now she was wide awake. More importantly, she noticed that she was no longer in the warriors' den anymore, the moonlit sky now above her head. _Where am I? Is this a dream?_ She wondered. _Wait…_ The she-cat suddenly became giddy. _If this is StarClan, then…_ She looked around, but saw no signs of any other cats. Curious, she walked forward and saw the grass slope down in front of her. Looking towards the horizon, she saw groups of cats. They all seemed relaxed and content.

"It's amazing, huh?" Suguha jumped when she heard the voice from behind her and turned around to see a black she-cat with green eyes. "Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!"

"Don't worry, just took me by surprise, that's all." She assured her. "This…is StarClan, right?"

"Yes. You must be Suguha, right?" She nodded. "I didn't think we'd be meeting so soon. Asuna was just telling me about you and your cousin the other day." Suguha tilted her head, puzzled. "I should introduce myself. My name's Hollyleaf."

"Like, Lionblaze and Jayfeather's sister?"

"That's me."

"It's nice to meet you. Nightheart told me stories that she heard about you. I'm sorry that you're here in StarClan already." Hollyleaf shook her head.

"Don't be. I was happy with the life that I lived, and even though things got rough near the end, I was able to make amends before I died." She meowed. "Anyway, I'm sure you know why you're here, Suguha."

"I think so. I've been waiting for this time to come for so long!" Hollyleaf let out a small laugh.

"I can imagine. Kirito and Asuna came here so long ago. I'm actually shocked that they chose me to give you your power." Their green gazes touched. "Don't worry, this won't hurt at all." Hollyleaf placed her starry paws over Suguha's a bright glow surrounding them. Once it dissipated, Hollyleaf moved her paws away. "Okay, now try and swiping your paw." Suguha nodded and swiped her paw down. A menu screen appeared, causing her to smile.

"Finally! Oh, I don't want to sound rude about this. I'm sure before wasn't the right time to give me my power." Suguha looked through the menu and noticed what appeared to be a switch next to her name, the word support next to it. She gave it a press and closed her eyes as a bright light now consumed her. When it finally disappeared, she saw that the word 'support' was gone, the word 'attack' now taking its place. _I guess it's almost like a new class loadout._ She thought.

"There's a stream over here." Hollyleaf meowed as she began to walk. _I guess I look different. I definitely feel a bit different._ Suguha followed her down the slope until they finally reached the edge of the stream. "Look into it." Suguha brought her face closer to the water's surface and looked down. She no longer saw the light ginger she-cat with green eyes that she was used to looking at. Instead, she was a black cat with dark gray eyes. She looked just like her cousin, but a bit smaller.

"Whoa…I look like myself now if I was a cat." She stated before looking over at Hollyleaf. "I think I understand how this power works, but I'll probably play around with it before I get into any drastic situation."

"Right. Being in this world for a while, you know how bad things could possibly get." The black she-cat meowed. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you this, but like Kirito and Asuna, your powers will allow you to protect the Clans and those you care about." Suguha nodded. "Well, that's all I have for you tonight. Hopefully it was all you hoped for it to be."

"That, and more. I didn't think you'd be the one who'd be helping me, Hollyleaf. I'm so glad to have finally met you." The green-eyed she-cat let out a smile.

"All that's left is to meet Kirito, then. Asuna told me that we'd get along."

"With Kazuto? If you like being an annoying tease, then probably." Hollyleaf chuckled. "I hope we can talk again, Hollyleaf."

"Me too, Suguha. Good luck, and just remember that StarClan is watching over you." Suguha watched as the she-cat disappeared, along with her surroundings, her vision turning black.

Suguha opened her eyes the next morning, letting out a yawn before stretching her paws. She looked up and saw Nightheart standing in front of her.

"Good morning, Nightheart." The she-cat's violet eyes widened.

"Suguha, it is you! What happened?" She wondered. "I just saw a bright light appear and was a bit worried." Suguha looked down at her paws and saw that they were black, rather than the light-ginger she was used to seeing. She swiped a paw down in front of her, revealing the menu interface that she, Kirito, and Asuna all shared. "You finally got your powers?"

"Yup. See?" Suguha tapped on the switch next to her name, Nightheart watching as she began to glow, the light fading and revealing the form of her friend that she was so accustomed to. "My other form is based on how I actually look."

"That's a very interesting power, Suguha. I'm sure there's more to it than just simply changing your appearance."

"One's used for fighting, while the other's used to help support my allies." She swiped her paw down and reverted back to her black cat form. "You'll probably need to get used to seeing me like this from now on."

"That won't be a problem at all. You do look younger now, too." Nightheart told her. "Maybe we should get out of here and show everyone else the new you." The two black cats walked out of the warriors' den, Nightheart seeing Lelouch near the medicine cat's den, a vole between his paws. He looked up as he saw his daughter approach, but stared at Suguha for a while, a small blush forming on her face. "Do you not recognize her, father?"

"Should I?" He meowed, letting out a small chuckle. "Where did you find her?"

"In the warrior's den." Lelouch tilted his head in confusion. "It's Suguha." Lelouch stared at the she-cat in surprise.

"Is that really you, Suguha?" She nodded.

"Hi, Lelouch." She greeted. "This is what I'd look like as a cat if I was myself instead of Leafa." She explained. "I just got my power from StarClan last night." She swiped her paw down, opening the menu screen in front of her.

"I bet you're relieved now, huh?" He said with a small laugh. "You definitely look different, but you also definitely are Suguha, there's no doubt about it." Suddenly, the tom became flustered.

"Father?" Nightheart looked at him, puzzled. "What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing! I just…remembered that Suguha's usually Leafa…who looks older than how she does now." Now, Suguha began to blush, realizing what the tom was getting at.

"C-C'mon Nightheart, let's go see Alderheart now!" She pushed the violet-eyed she-cat along quickly, Lelouch watching the two as they made their way into the medicine cat's den.

"You're going to have to explain what happened back there sometime." Nightheart meowed as the two entered the medicine cat's den. Jayfeather's blind gaze turned towards them.

"Nightheart, Suguha. Is there something you need?" Asuna, Briarlight, and Alderheart turned and looked at the two, focusing on Suguha. "What's wrong?" He wondered, the silence prolonging for a while.

"Wait…Suguha!?" Alderheart stared at the black she-cat, who let out a kind smile. He felt the fur on his face suddenly grow hot. _She looks different…but in a good way._ Alderheart walked up to her. "I'm guessing this is going to be what you look like from now on?"

"Yeah. Last night I spoke with Hollyleaf in my dream and she gave me the power to go from myself to Leafa whenever I can." She told him.

"That's so cool!" Briarlight meowed.

"Do you know the different things you can do in each form?" Asuna asked.

"Not yet, but in this form I'm more attack-oriented, while in my other form I'm more of a support. I'm guessing I can use some of the magic I have in ALO in that form, too."

"So…let me get this straight: your power is that you can switch forms, but it also switches your appearance?" Jayfeather rephrased.

"Yup."

"At least your scent's still the same. Honestly, I was getting confused when no one was talking." He stated. "We have to get working now, you two, if you don't mind."

"Yes, Jayfeather. Let's go, Suguha." The two walked out of the medicine cat's den and immediately bumped into Dovewing. "Oh, hi Dovewing."

"Wow…you really do look different, Suguha. I can see how Kirito and you are related." The gray she-cat meowed. "Sorry, I overheard you talking in there and peeked inside." She looked over at where Lelouch was, the tom's violet gaze staring right back at her. "I don't mean to keep you two up in showing everyone the new you, Suguha. You both have fun." The two gave the she-cat a nod of thanks before making their way around camp.

Lelouch watched as Dovewing approached, letting out a small smile when she was pawsteps away from him. "Did they take you by surprise?"

"A bit. Luckily I overheard them, so I understood what was going on."

"I noticed you coming this way before that." He told her. "Did you need something, Dovewing?" She nodded.

"I…I need to talk to you."

"Alone, I'm assuming?" Again, she nodded. "Alright. Lead the way." Dovewing headed towards the thorn tunnel leading out of camp, the black tom following her. At the same time, he was trying to think of what she wanted him for, but no ideas came to mind. They stopped at a vacant part of ThunderClan territory, Dovewing listening closely and tasting the air first to make sure that they were alone. "This is serious, isn't it?"

"Y-Yeah…" Her ears twitched nervously. "It's just that…you always have the best advice, Lelouch…and I trust you more than any cat in ThunderClan…even more than Ivypool." She meowed. "Can I trust that you won't tell anyone, Lelouch?" She noticed that the tom seemed hesitant. "It's Ivypool, isn't it?"

"I can't lie to her if she's concerned about you, Dovewing." He told her.

"Please, Lelouch? We've been friends for so long. I need someone like that, especially right now." Lelouch noticed the worry in her eyes. The situation was more severe than he initially anticipated.

"Okay. I swear that I won't tell Ivypool." He promised.

"Thank you." She brushed her head on the tom's shoulder. Once she took a step back and their eyes connected, she averted his gaze. "Lelouch…I'm expecting kits." The tom's violet eyes widened at the news.

"Really?" She nodded. "They're Tigerheart's, right?"

"Yes…" Dovewing brought her green gaze back to his eyes. "You see why I couldn't tell Ivypool? We barely even speak anymore, all because I love Tigerheart." Her voice became solemn. "You might not know…but I go out and meet with him sometimes. Ever since he stayed with ThunderClan…our love for each other returned. I've wanted this to happen, but now that it's here…" Lelouch placed his tail on her shoulder.

"You don't know what to do, right?" She nodded. "What did Tigerheart say?"

"I haven't told him yet. I…wanted to tell you first because…you might know how to ease the stress we're going to be facing now." Lelouch stood there, thinking, but he didn't know what to tell her. _What would I do if Ivypool and I were in this situation? There's so much that gets in the way of an easy route. Clan loyalty, family, friendship…_ He looked at her, the same worry in her eyes. _I hate seeing her like this…but even I don't know what they could do._

"Dovewing…I'm sorry. I wish I could give you more than a cliché answer like 'follow your heart', but I don't know what you both can do to pull this off without any repercussions." Dovewing shook her head.

"Don't worry, I had a feeling you might not. I don't mean to get you mixed up in all of this, Lelouch."

"I'm more than happy to be a part of it. I know how much being with Tigerheart means to you, and I'll do whatever I can to help you both." Dovewing pressed her head under his muzzle and let out a loving purr.

"Thank you, Lelouch. I'm sure Tigerheart will appreciate it as much as I do." She told him.

"So…how long have you known that you were expecting kits?"

"About a moon. It definitely is beginning to show a bit." She looked at her flank. "I wouldn't be surprised if any cat realized already."

"I think it's just because you're worried. I couldn't even tell until you told me." Lelouch assured her. "Hopefully it all works out. I bet Nightheart would be happy to have younger cousins."

"Oh I _know_ she would." She said with a giggle. "Are you and Ivypool not expecting kits yet? I thought you both said you wanted another litter."

"We're waiting until leaf-bare's over...at least, that's the plan for now." He replied. "I can't imagine what's going through your head right now. I hope you and Tigerheart figure something out."

"Actually...I think I already have something in mind." She told him. Lelouch looked at her in confusion.

"Really?" She nodded.

"I asked for your help in case you might have been able to think of a more plausible idea." She admitted. "I've been…having dreams." She let out a breath. "I'm alone in camp, and I look at the nursery from the clearing, but I can tell something's wrong. I walk inside and see that it's empty. All the nests are tattered…and then…the whole nursery begins to be consumed by the shadows. I try to run, but…the shadows chase me…and everything turns black." Lelouch could see her body shake just by retelling her dream. "I wake up in fear every time I have the dream. I think it's a sign that my kits can't be born in ThunderClan."

"So…do you think you need to raise them in ShadowClan?" Dovewing shook her head.

"I've thought about it…but I know it's not right, either. Things will get complicated if I do."

"So then…" Lelouch's violet eyes looked at her in astonishment. "You're thinking about leaving ThunderClan, aren't you?"

"It's the only way Tigerheart and I can raise our kits without worry. Plus, I've had dreams about where we're going to raise them. There's a huge Twolegplace with dens towering into the sky, and the den where I'm supposed to raise my kits has a pointy roof on it. Do you know what I'm talking about?"

"It sounds like you're talking about some tall buildings, in a city, probably. The pointed den…I can't really think of what that would be." He answered. "It does sound vivid enough for you to follow it…and leaving the Clans is one way I thought of…but the fact that you and Tigerheart are missing may raise some suspicions." Lelouch stared intently into Dovewing's eyes. "Are you sure this is what you want to do?" She nodded.

"I want to do what's best for my kits." She stated. "I've decided to leave in three days."

"I see. I hope you and Tigerheart can make it there safely. I'll try my best to make sure no cat finds out about where you both are." Dovewing let out a smile.

"I know I've said this so much during our conversation, but…thank you, Lelouch. You're the greatest friend a cat could ever ask for." She pressed her head on his shoulder, and he reciprocated the notion back. Once she stepped away, the fur on her face grew hot. "S-Sorry if I made you a bit uncomfortable."

"It's happened so much, I'm used to it at this point." He assured her with a laugh. "We should get back to camp now." She nodded, and they began their walk back to ThunderClan. _Dovewing…I hope StarClan still keeps you and Tigerheart safe wherever you go. If something happened to you both…I don't know if I could ever forgive myself for not stopping you when I had the chance._


	4. Chapter 4: An Extra Claw

Chapter 4: An Extra Claw

 _Noctis dropped off his_ prey at the fresh-kill pile. He had just returned from going out hunting with Sparrowpelt and Plumwillow. Sunlight broke through the trees, a cool breeze along with it, blowing through the tom's fur. Usually, he would be with Twigpaw, but she was training with Sandynose today, and he didn't want him around to distract her. _He seemed so angry about it, too. Maybe he just wants to be a good mentor?_

"Noctis?" The tom turned around and saw that it was Sparrowpelt. "I just wanted to thank you for going out hunting with Plumwillow and I."

"It's no big deal. Just doing my part as a SkyClan cat, that's all." He replied. "You getting used to this territory?"

"Yeah. Slowly, but surely." He gazed out towards the forest. "Hopefully we'll be able to stay here long enough. Not every cat wants us here, you know."

"I'm sure you just need to give it some time. They'll come to their senses eventually."

"Leafpool! Leafpool!" Noctis' ears twitched and he turned around towards the entrance to the camp. _That was Sandynose._ He then watched in horror as he walked in, Twigpaw on his back. Immediately, he ran over towards him, the other cats in the camp watching.

"What happened?" Sandynose didn't answer, quickly walking past and heading to the medicine cat's den. He followed, worry filling his mind. _She has to be okay, right?_ He entered the den with them, Leafpool instructing the tom to place Twigpaw down on the bedding.

"How'd this happen?" She asked.

"She fell down a tree catching a sparrow." Her mentor replied. Noctis looked over at him, a frown on his face.

"You shouldn't have made her do something like that."

"I don't need you telling me how to train my apprentice." Sandynose retorted, scorn in his voice. "This isn't ThunderClan. I'm teaching her how to be a SkyClan cat."

"Oh, so that involves risking your life to feed your Clan? Maybe using some common sense first would help." The brown tom growled.

"If you don't like the way we hunt, you can leave! Any cat can hunt on the ground, but only SkyClan hunts in trees. Maybe you should be trained in doing so as well!"

"Both of you, stop!" Leafpool silenced the two. She began to press her paws over Twigpaw's body. "Luckily, nothing's broken." She turned her attention towards Sandynose. "I don't mean to seem biased, but Noctis is right. There are easier ways to catch prey. I'm sure your Clanmates would rather go hungry than see you in a critical condition." She looked down at Twigpaw and placed a paw on her head. "You're not feeling dizzy, right?"

"I'm okay." Twigpaw meowed. "Just a bit of swelling, but I can feel it going down." Sorrow filled her gaze. "I guess I'm not a good SkyClan cat after all." Sandynose shook his head.

"All that matters now is that you're okay." Contempt filled Noctis' gaze. _He sounds kind, but his words are empty. He doesn't care about Twigpaw one bit._

"That's right. You should stay here for a day or two just so I can keep an eye on you." Noctis saw the lichens behind Sandynose begin to rustle, Finpaw popping his head out.

"What happened to Twigpaw?" He asked.

"She fell out of a tree?" Leafpool told him

"What? You're okay, right?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit scratched up is all." She assured him, causing the tom to let out a sigh of relief.

"Finpaw, could you watch over her while I go collect herbs?" She asked. "I'd like to collect more borage downstream before the mist rolls in."

"I can watch her." Sandynose offered, but Leafpool shook her head.

"It'll be better for her to be with someone her own age. She still might have some shock and could use the distraction." Her amber gaze touched Noctis' blue eyes. "That means you, too. I know how much you care about her, but she's okay now."

"Right. She's in good paws." He looked over at Finpaw, who let out a smile. Leafpool led the two toms out of the den, leaving the apprentices alone. Sandynose made his way around camp, Noctis unsure where to go.

"Did you want to go collect herbs with me?" Leafpool asked.

"I think I'll stay here in case these two need anything." She looked at the tom, uncertainty in her gaze.

"Okay…but stay out of the medicine cat's den. That's an order." He nodded and watched as the she-cat left camp. He found a spot near the den and rested down.

A few minutes later, Noctis' ears twitched. He could hear something, but he didn't know where it was coming from, the tom looking around.

"Noctis...psst!" He turned and looked at the medicine cat's den. It was Finpaw. Curious, he walked over. "Geez…it took you long enough. Twigpaw and I need your help."

"For what?" Finpaw looked back in the den before talking.

"Twigpaw told me about this cool place, and I want to go see it with her. She told me you'd be able to help, and that you wouldn't say anything. I didn't want to risk it and wanted to sneak out by ourselves, but she insisted that we take you with us."

"You both are supposed to rest until Leafpool gets back." Finpaw let out a sigh.

"C'mon, please? Twigpaw really wants to go!" He begged. "At least cover for us while we go out?" Noctis didn't answer. "Fine, let's just go, Twigpaw. We'll be back before anyone notices we're gone." Noctis placed a tail in front of the tom as he tried to walk out.

"I can't let you both go out there alone." He stated. _Leafpool might kill me if she finds out._ He softly pushed the tom back inside to speak with them both. "We'll go, but only for a few minutes, okay?"

"Yes! You were right when you said Noctis could never say no to you, Twigpaw." The black tom looked over at the she-cat, a hint of embarrassment on her face.

"I-I didn't say that! W-Well I didn't _exactly_ say that." She muttered.

"Let's just get going now before Leafpool comes back." Noctis looked outside at the clearing. "Fallowfern's the only one out there, and she's sleeping. You both picked a good time to sneak out." He meowed. "Okay, just follow my lead." Noctis left the medicine cat's den, followed by the two apprentices. Once they escaped the confines of the camp, Twigpaw took the lead. "So…a cool place, huh?"

"It's where Alderheart would sneak me off to so I could play with Violetpaw when we were young." She told him. "I told Finpaw about it…and he kinda persuaded me to take him. Please don't tell Leafpool, Noct."

"I won't. The last thing you two need is to be in trouble." Twigpaw continued walking, but suddenly stopped. "What's…" She placed her tail over the tom's mouth.

"Someone's already here." She whispered. "Quick, behind the fallen tree!" The three hid behind there, Noctis slowly bringing his head over the tree. "Where are they?"

"Behind the ferns over there. At least we're downwind. They'll have no idea we're here." Finpaw meowed. Noctis scented the air, trying his best to decipher the mingling scents. _It smells like…ThunderClan and ShadowClan._

"It's bad timing, Dovewing. ShadowClan's looking to me to take over leading them." _Tigerheart? It must be him and Dovewing meeting in secret._ The black tom realized.

"And it has to be you?" The gray ThunderClan warrior asked. "What about _us?_ "

"Dovewing, you know that I love you…more than anything. I promise that we'll figure something out."

"Let's get out of here. I don't want to risk anything." Twigpaw meowed. "Besides, we shouldn't be getting into their business." They slowly made their way back towards SkyClan.

"That was Tigerheart, right?" Finpaw asked. "Why was he with Dovewing?" Twigpaw shook her head.

"Just don't say anything. Please?"

"Yeah, sure." He nodded.

"Great, now c'mon, we're supposed to be having fun!" She broke away from the two, Finpaw running after her.

"Where are you going? We need to get back to camp now!" Noctis exclaimed as he chased down the two apprentices.

"We still have so much time left before Leafpool comes back. C'mon Noct, help us look for a frog to put in Dewpaw's nest!" The black tom let out a sigh. _I'm glad to see these two having fun. Hopefully Twigpaw's starting to feel more comfortable here now._ He then thought back about Dovewing and Tigerheart. _Those two…they better hope they don't get caught._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Alderheart and Asuna walked along the edge of the lake's pebbly shore. They were searching for mallow before leaf-bare came and there was none left. Alderheart found a few wilted flowers and used a leaf to place the petals in, rolling it into a bundle so that they could pick it up later.

"Um…Alderheart?" The tom turned around at the sound of the she-cat's voice.

"Yes?" Asuna walked past him and saw the bundle, touching it with a paw. Alderheart watched as it suddenly disappeared with a faint glow. "Right, your medicine cat powers. I can't believe I forgot about that."

"I guess Suguha's power is the only one you care about now, huh?" Alderheart's face grew hot, the she-cat letting out a giggle. "I'm just kidding, Alderheart. Come on, we should get back to Jayfeather now."

"Okay." As Alderheart turned around, he saw movement from the corner of his eye. He saw that it was Willowshine, and she was making her way over here. "Hold on, Asuna. Willowshine's coming this way." She looked over at the gray she-cat, letting out a smile. They hadn't seen any RiverClan cat ever since they were rejected the last time they tried to talk to Mothwing and Willowshine. _She must have some news, I hope._ Alderheart began to close the distance between them, Asuna following behind. As they got closer, they could see worry in her eyes. Noticing this, Alderheart motioned his tail towards the woods nearby, Willowshine following the two.

When they were finally hidden, Willowshine panted for her breath. "Thank StarClan I found you both out here. Everyone except Mothwing thinks I'm collecting herbs right now…" She explained. "Anyway, I got a message from StarClan!"

"That's great, Willowshine! What was it about?" Asuna wondered.

"Well…it was a strange vision. I was just picking some marigold yesterday…and I had it."

"While you were awake?" Alderheart questioned. "I didn't even know visions could happen at that time."

"You and me both. It definitely took me by surprise." The RiverClan medicine cat meowed, quickly shaking her head afterwards. "Sorry, let me get back on track. So…right, picking herbs! I was just out, and it was in the morning, so the sun was shining. I climb up the slope nearby and…everything suddenly gets dark." The two ThunderClan medicine cats looked at each other before she continued. "I looked up and saw dark clouds were covering the sky, and the cool breeze felt ominous. Everything slowly became dark. I felt alone…trapped, even…but then…a cat just rushed past me! Darkness completely eclipsed everything after that…but in a blink of an eye…everything was back to normal." Willowshine shuddered. "It was like nothing I've ever seen before."

"I can imagine, especially since you were awake." Asuna said.

"The most important thing, though, was the cat's hind paw. Even with the darkness, the image of it has stayed with me ever since."

"Their paw? Was something different about it?" Alderheart wondered.

"It has six toes." She answered. "Then after, a voice spoke to me. It said 'To fend off a storm, you will need an extra claw." Asuna and Alderheart looked at each other in shock.

"The dark sky must not herald a storm!" They told each other, causing Willowshine to look at them both in confusion.

"What?"

"It's the prophecy that we had gotten a while ago." Alderheart explained. "Both prophecies have to do with the same storm, I'm sure of it."

"Still…we have no idea what exactly that storm is." Asuna meowed. "But if they do have something to do with each other, we're closer to figuring this prophecy out than we were before." Alderheart sighed.

"Yeah, if my father actually takes it seriously this time."

"Mistystar was the exact same way when I told her about mine! She said there were too many real things to worry about." A smile suddenly appeared on the gray tabby's face. "Hey, with two prophecies now about a storm, they'll have to listen!"

"Yes! C'mon, we can tell my father first!" Alderheart began walking, but stopped when he saw Willowshine not move a pawstep. "What's wrong?"

"I have to get going now. Like I said, everyone thinks I'm out collecting herbs." She meowed.

"There's your excuse. Leaf-fall has just begun, and we need to be out collecting herbs for a long time. I'm sure you're fine." Not wanting to waste any more time talking, Alderheart continued walking, leaving the two she-cats behind.

"He's definitely still in prophecy-solving mode." Asuna said with a small laugh. "I'm sure you'll be fine, Willowshine."

"Right. I don't want to disappoint Alderheart by not going. I could tell how frustrated he is that Bramblestar won't listen to him." The two she-cats followed the tom back to ThunderClan, hoping that the leader would take some sort of action.

When they arrived in ThunderClan, Asuna saw that everything seemed normal. Bramblestar was resting alone on the Highledge, while Dovewing, Kirito, and Suguha were playing with Blossomfall and Thornclaw's kits. She noticed Alderheart was already climbing up to speak with Bramblestar. The two joined him, Bramblestar looking over at Willowshine in surprise.

"Willowshine? Is everything okay in RiverClan?" He asked, concern in his meow.

"Yes. I just came to speak with Alderheart about a vision I had."

"Concerning the dark sky?"

"Yeah, but it's different than the one we received." His son informed him. Now, Bramblestar focused on the she-cat, curious about what she had to say.

"I had a vision of a six-toed cat. StarClan says that we'll need an extra claw to fend off the incoming storm." Bramblestar narrowed his eyes, puzzled by the new prophecy. He looked over at Alderheart and Asuna.

"Do you two have any idea what this means?"

"I was thinking the claws represented the Clans. So, a sixth claw could mean a sixth Clan." Alderheart answered.

"Another Clan? I don't think I've heard stories of there being a sixth one."

"It could be StarClan?" His amber gaze touched Asuna's hazel eyes. "Asuna?" She shook her head.

"I'm not sure. Sorry, Bramblestar."

"Actually, I think what StarClan told me is meant to be taken literally." Willowshine meowed. "I think the cat I saw is real, and we have to find it."

"Very well. Do you know anything else appearance-wise?" The leader asked. The RiverClan medicine cat shook her head.

"All I know is that its six toes are on its hind paw. That's all StarClan shared with me."

"Regardless, it's a step towards figuring out the prophecy. Thank you for coming here to tell us. I'll definitely keep this in my mind for the time being."

Alderheart began to gaze out towards the clearing. "Is there any cat in ThunderClan with an extra toe, or in any Clan for that matter?" The three others pondered for a moment, each of them shaking their heads. "Then we have to go check the others Clans."

"Now?" His son nodded. "I'll give you three an escort in case anything happens." Asuna let out a small cough.

"Did you forget I'm also a warrior, Bramblestar? I'll make sure we come back safe."

"R-Right. My apologies, Asuna." He stuttered before regaining a serious composure. "Be careful, you three."

"We'll be back as soon as we're done." Alderheart assured him. "Oh, and share the prophecy with Jayfeather. I'll speak with him when I get back." The tom climbed down Highledge, Willowshine following behind him.

Bramblestar sighed. "Sometimes I think he forgets I'm leader _and_ his father." Asuna let out a giggle. "Try to keep him safe for me, Asuna. I know how committed he is to solving this prophecy, but I don't want him getting in danger just to get a pawstep closer to solving it."

"You and me both." She replied. "I'll do my best, Bramblestar." A warm smile formed on the leader's face as a sign of thanks, Asuna returning it back to him before carefully leaping down Highledge to catch up with the other two.

Asuna, Alderheart, and Willowshine made their way to ShadowClan. They had just told Leafstar about the prophecy, but she had no knowledge of a six-toed cat. They had met Juniperclaw and Ratscar at the border, the elder being on patrol due to ShadowClan's lack of cats. They escorted the three into camp, Rowanstar standing in the middle of the clearing, Puddleshine listening close by while Tigerheart watched from the shadows. Willowshine explained the prophecy to the leader, interest in his eyes.

"An extra claw?"

"Yes. Do you know any cat with one?" Alderheart asked.

"Not in ShadowClan."

"Maybe one of the rogues?"

"Alderheart...I think that's definitely out of the question." Asuna meowed. "They wouldn't just help us out of nowhere, either."

"Exactly! The last thing we'd want is their help!" Scorchfur meowed, Willowshine letting out a scoff.

"Last thing I remembered was that you all accepted them and wanted them to solve all your problems."

"That was in the past. We have to look forward now." Alderheart quickly meowed. "We just need to find this cat and everything will be alright."

"Maybe we can send out a search party?" Grassheart suggested. Rowanstar shook his head.

"We don't have enough cats for that. We need to keep an eye on our border with SkyClan." The leader replied.

"But Leafstar promised that they would be an ally. You don't need to worry about them." Alderheart tried to persuade him.

"That is what she said."

"And you believed her!" Scorchfur spat.

"It was Tigerheart's idea to." The leader retorted.

"Even so, at least he had one. When's the last time you came up with one, Rowanstar?" The ShadowClan leader hit the ground with a paw.

"Would you like to try and be leader? Why don't you use what you learned from Darktail and those rogues then?"

"At least he knew how to be a leader." Tawnypelt got between the two, anger flaring in her eyes.

"Rowanstar was kind enough to forgive you after you betrayed ShadowClan, and now you disrespect him?"

"He's done nothing to earn it. Everything that's happened to us is his fault! The rogues taking over, our disobedient apprentices, all because of him!"

"Stop it!" Asuna yelled. "Now's not the time for you all to start arguing with each other! When I stayed here, I knew that tensions existed, but can't you see that's what will tear apart ShadowClan even more?"

"Fine then." Scorchfur looked over at Rowanstar. "What shall we do, _leader_?" Rowanstar stayed silent for a while, trying to think of what to do.

"I must do what's best for my Clan." He simply meowed.

"If only you did that a long time ago."

"He's always done what's best for his Clan!" Tawnypelt stated.

"And look where we are now." The dark gray tom looked around the camp.

"Do you think you could do any better?" The she-cat questioned. "Rowanstar cares dearly about his Clan. If anything, it's your Clanmates' own disloyalty that got us in the state we're in, the same goes for our arrogant apprentices. You don't know how hard it is for him. He has constant nightmares about the Clanmates he's lost."

"Well…they only had one life. He's lucky he was given nine lives that he never deserved."

"That's not true at all!" Puddleshine now joined in. "StarClan blessed you with those lives because they believed in you, Rowanstar." Scorchfur sneered.

"Maybe they've given us the prophecy to tell us they change their minds. Maybe he's the dark sky they're warning us about."

"I've heard enough!" Tawnypelt yelled. "If anyone's the dark sky, it's you!" She gazed around the camp. "You let the rogues take over! You let them run Rowanstar out! You let them kill Clan cats!"

"All because we wanted a leader!" Scorchfur retorted. "All we have now is a shell of one. He was weak then, and he's weak now." Tawnypelt couldn't take more of the tom's ridicule and malice. With a hiss, she slashed her claws across the tom's muzzle, Scorchfur retaliating by slamming a paw down on her shoulder, knocking her to the ground.

"Stop! You mustn't fight with each other!" Asuna yelled, but the two still continued, Tawnypelt slashing at the tom's belly before being kicked off by him. Once he got back to his paws, he let out a snarl, lashing out at her, his claws raking her eyes. The medicine cats watched in horror. Asuna was relieved when Tawnypelt only sustained a slash to her cheek.

"Stop! Both of you!" Tigerheart ran in between them both. "This fighting is unnecessary! We're only diving ourselves more and more!" Asuna touched the tabby tom's amber gaze. It was filled with sorrow. _Maybe I should've stayed here to help them._

"Asuna." She turned around and saw Alderheart call for her, the tom and Willowshine retreating from the camp. _I can't just leave them like this…but if I stay, I might just undermine Rowanstar's leadership. This is something he needs to solve with his Clan. I just hope he'll be able to._ Filled with regret, Asuna turned around the follow the other two out of the camp.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Is this enough, Leafpool?" Noctis asked, a bundle of catmint between his jaws. He had gone out with Leafpool and Fallowfern to collect herbs.

"Yes. Do you mind carrying them back? I think my bundle's already full." She meowed. "Have you seen Fallowfern?"

"Not while I was out. Do you think she's in danger or anything?"

"I hope not. I just showed her the patch to get the herbs from, but I didn't sense anything bad nearby." She replied.

"Should we go…" Noctis' ears twitched as the fast sound of rustling leaves. They watched as Juniperclaw ran past them, Fallowfern following behind. "That can't be good." Without a word, the two picked up their herbs and followed the running cats back to SkyClan.

When they arrived, they saw that Juniperclaw was arguing with Leafstar. Leafpool dropped the herbs she was carrying and ran over to Leafstar.

"Noctis and I saw Fallowfern chasing after Juniperclaw. Is everything okay?"

"No, not at all! I caught this one stealing herbs from ShadowClan!" The ShadowClan tom exclaimed.

"The fault there rests on my shoulders. I probably sent her to the wrong herb patch."

"You? Wait a minute…" Juniperclaw looked around the camp. "Where is every cat? You have a ThunderClan medicine cat here and a cat from a different world?"

"Our Clanmates are very busy." Leafstar answered.

"Well, when they have time, make sure you tell them to pay attention to their borders because the next time we catch one of them, they won't come back home in one piece." Juniperclaw left the camp after his threat, Noctis picking up the herbs before he walked over to where Leafpool was. The she-cat turned when she realized he was there.

"Oh, sorry for making you carry all of that, Noctis. Here, let me help."

"I'm fine." He assured her, his voice muffled by the herbs. She let out a smile.

"Okay then. Would you help Fallowfern and I sort them?" He nodded. "Thank you." The three cats walked into the medicine cat's den to replenish and organize the herb stock. When Noctis dropped down the herbs, Leafpool let out a sigh. "Finpaw's missing. I bet he's somewhere with Twigpaw."

"I'll help you look for them." The tom offered. The two walked out of camp and made their way into the forest.

"Finpaw! Twigpaw!" They both constantly called out. Leafpool scented the air and looked around. "They're this way." The she-cat took the lead, Noctis following behind. They passed through a few trees before the two apprentices were in their sights. They found the two in a ditch, guilt in their eyes. "What are you both doing out here?" She whispered. "Get back to camp. Sandynose could return any minute and you remember how annoyed he was." Leafpool looked over at Noctis. "You being the one helping them didn't help, either."

"Why does he care?" Twigpaw meowed defiantly. "Doesn't he want Finpaw to be a warrior? He isn't getting any closer to it by being stuck in camp the whole time."

"It's because he's worried about him. Surely you can see that." Leafpool said.

"I wish he'd worry about something else." Finpaw let out a sigh.

"Until that day comes you should do as you're told." The medicine cat scolded. "I'm sure Leafstar can find something for you both to do."

"You mean apprentice work? I've been doing that for StarClan knows how long!" Twigpaw complained.

"I'll do it for the both of us." Finpaw stated. "My dad's only worried about me. I shouldn't hold you off from having fun, Twigpaw. Go out hunting." Leafpool looked over at the black tom.

"Noctis, could you take her out hunting while I take Finpaw back?"

"Got it. C'mon, Twigpaw." Noctis took the lead, the apprentice taking one final glance at Finpaw before she caught up with him. "I know you both hate being in camp all day, but at least try to sneak off when no cat would care."

"I know…" Sorrow filled her meow. Noctis looked over at her and let out a sigh.

"Seeing you like this always makes me feel bad, too, you know."

"It's just…Sandynose doesn't like anything I do. That's the truth."

"Trust me, you don't have to tell me twice. If I could mentor you, I would…but I'm not a SkyClan cat, or originally a warrior, for that matter." He meowed. "Let's just go hunting, like old times on the journey to find SkyClan." Twigpaw let out a smile.

"Okay, but no warping! I still don't forgive you for just stealing my catch that way." The black tom let out a chuckle.

"No promises." The two began their walk around the forest in search of prey. Twigpaw's past worrying faded away. She was happy spending time with Noctis again. It felt nostalgic to her. She had rarely gone out with the tom, Sandynose usually being the one taking her out to hunt now, and she definitely never enjoyed that. _Why can't he be like Noct? At least he appreciates me._ Tiny pawsteps scurried across the leaves on the forest floor. A squirrel leaped past the two and made its way towards the ThunderClan border. Twigpaw darted towards it, Noctis trailing behind her. As it got closer to the border, Twigpaw picked up speed, inching closer and closer to it. Once it passed the border, Twigpaw was ready to leap, but saw a blue flash appear next to her.

"Hey, I said no warping!" Twigpaw yelled. As Noctis reappeared, Twigpaw watched as he crashed into a silver cat, the two falling to the ground as the squirrel escaped. Twigpaw stopped and noticed that the cat he had knocked into was Ivypool. The silver and white tabby looked up at Noctis.

"What in the name of StarClan is your problem?!" Noctis raised his head up, their blue eyes meeting.

"S-Sorry about that, Ivypool!" He quickly apologized, helping the she-cat up. She shook the dirt and grass off of her fur.

"It's fine. Just try to watch where you're warping next time before you possibly kill a cat." She meowed.

"Hi, Ivypool." Twigpaw greeted her. Ivypool gave her a small glance, but didn't say a word. "It's me…Twigpaw."

"I _know_ who you are." She sounded irritated. "You're the cat I trained for moons only to leave to another Clan."

"C'mon, you can't put it like that." Noctis meowed. "She wanted to be with her family." The she-cat let out a sigh.

"You're right. I just…miss you, that's all. You were my first apprentice. I was so happy for you to get your warrior name." She told her. "Alderheart says you haven't even gotten that yet."

"No. Leafstar wants me to be trained as a SkyClan cat."

"Does she not think ThunderClan training is enough?"

"It's more like she wants me to use SkyClan skills."

"Yeah…let's not forget where that got you for a few days." Noctis looked over at Ivypool. "She fell down a tree a while ago."

"What?! You were okay, right? Nothing broken?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She assured her past mentor. "So…how's Lelouch?"

"Amazing…as always. He's thinking about actually moving into the nursery when we have our kits to help raise them."

"Ivypool?" The three heard the violet-eyed tom called out.

"I'm over here!" In a few seconds, they saw a bush behind the she-cat rustle, Lelouch walking out.

"I heard you yell. Are you okay?" He then saw Noctis and Twigpaw. "Oh, hey you two."

"Yeah. Noctis just warped right into me." She told him. "A-Aren't you going to fight the tom that hurt your mate?" Lelouch rolled his eyes. "C'mon, you can at least play along with me!" He ignored her and looked at Noctis and Twigpaw.

"How have you both been in SkyClan?"

"We've been managing." Noctis told him. "So…you gonna be living in the nursery soon, huh?" Lelouch's face became hot with embarrassment.

"You told them that?!" He looked over at Ivypool, who let out a cute smile.

"Twigpaw asked how you were doing. Besides, I think it's cute that you want to do that." She brushed her head onto his coat. "I hope you know there's no backing out of that now."

"I wouldn't, don't worry." Seeing the two together reminded Twigpaw about Dovewing.

"How's Dovewing doing?" Ivypool stopped cuddling her mate and looked over at the apprentice.

"Why?" Twigpaw froze. Noctis looked over at her. _C'mon Twigpaw, out of everyone you could say that to, it had to be Ivypool?_ " _Why_ , Twigpaw?"

"N-Nothing." Lelouch placed his tail on her shoulder.

"She might've just been curious, that's all." Lelouch quickly assured her. _Does Twigpaw know about Dovewing and Tigerheart seeing each other?_ He looked over at Noctis, who stared back at him. _I think both she and Noctis know…but how?_

"No, I _know_ when she's bothered by something." Ivypool stepped closer towards Twigpaw.

"Okay…" Twigpaw let out a breath. "I saw her near the ShadowClan border…talking with Tigerheart." Ivypool looked at her, wide-eyed, before hitting the ground with a paw.

"I knew she was up to something! What were they talking about?"

"I-I don't know. Tigerheart was talking about ShadowClan. He sounded worried. Dovewing seemed upset, too."

"Why would she be upset? She shouldn't care about ShadowClan at all!" Ivypool meowed.

"Ivypool…calm down." Lelouch placed a paw on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off.

"How can I be calm with Dovewing meeting Tigerheart in secret? I know you probably approve, Lelouch, but I don't!" She let out a sigh. "I'm sorry for yelling. I just…forget it."

"Ivypool! Lelouch! You both have enough alone time in camp, y'know?" A meow called out for them, the two becoming flustered.

"Seriously, Lionblaze?" Ivypool meowed. "I'll see you both later. Be safe." Once Ivypool left, Lelouch approached the two.

"You both can't tell any cat about Tigerheart and Dovewing. I know what they're doing is wrong, but…they really care for each other so much."

"I'm sorry, Lelouch." Twigpaw apologized, the tom shaking his head.

"Don't worry. Believe me, I know how intimidating Ivypool can be at times." Noctis let out a chuckle. "Hopefully we bump into each other again soon. ThunderClan misses you both."

"Lelouch!"

"I better get going now. Stay safe you two." Lelouch walked through the ferns and caught up with Ivypool, who was waiting for him. "Hey. Sorry, I just wanted to talk with them a bit."

"It's okay." As they were walking to meet up with Lionblaze and the other cats who were on patrol, Ivypool stopped. "Lelouch…please be honest with me." She gazed into his violet eyes. "Do you know anything else about Dovewing and Tigerheart meeting?"

"I don't." The tom lied. "We should get going. The last thing ThunderClan needs is for you to return to camp furious."

"I think you mean that's the last thing _you_ want." She meowed with a giggle. "So…have you thought of any names for our kits?"

"N-Names?! Already?" Lelouch stammered. "Isn't it a bit too soon for that?"

"Ivypool! Lelouch! I thought you said you didn't want your kits to be born in leaf-bare!"

"L-Lionblaze, that's so wrong!" Ivypool yelled back. "We have to go before he says anything else, but I think that one was the worst!" She took the lead, her mate following behind. _Ivypool…I'm sorry I can't tell you the truth. I know this could possibly ruin our relationship, but…_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"C'mon, Suguha, we can't lose him." Sparkpelt meowed as the black she-cat followed behind her. She had seen her brother sneak out of camp, but was unsure why he did. She had brought Suguha along, knowing that he'd tell her the truth no matter what.

"I hope he's okay. I don't think I'd ever see him just leave by himself unless it's something important."

"Well…he has been pretty keen on solving that prophecy, so I think it's probably that." She guessed. "He's going pretty far right now. We're literally between ShadowClan and RiverClan. Make sure you stay like that. We might need to fight our way out of here." She meowed. They both continued following the tom and saw him making his way towards the Twoleg dens nearby. "What in the name of StarClan is he doing?!"

"We can't let him see us. He doesn't look like he's in any danger." They noticed Alderheart suddenly stop near a row of shrubs, two cats leaping up to greet him. "Quick, hide over here, Sparkpelt." They made their way into a nearby bush and watched.

"I can't believe that furball actually walked all the way out here by himself. Doesn't he know how dangerous it is? I swear, if those kittypets make any moves, they're dead!"

"Right. We'll only go out if Alderheart is in trouble."

The two she-cats continued watching Alderheart for a while, until he finally turned around and seemed to be making his way back to ThunderClan. They were going to leave once he moved past, but suddenly, they watched as one of the kittypets, a russet tom named Jasper, slammed into his side.

"Alderheart!" Sparkpelt wasted no time in leaping out of hiding, while Suguha quickly swiped a paw, switching to Leafa in hopes to shield Alderheart from afar. She made her way out of the bush and began the incantation for her Butterfly Shield spell. When it was complete, she watched as a swarm of glowing butterflies emanated from around her and flew towards Alderheart, quickly shielding the tom. Both he and Jasper seemed surprised, which was enough of a distraction for Sparkpelt to leap onto the tom. She clawed at the tom's throat, but not hard enough to draw blood. He let out a yowl of pain, the she-cat leaping off of him. Once he saw that he was outnumbered, he slowly backed away before running off. "Yeah, next time I won't be so nice!" She turned to face her brother. "You okay?"

"Yeah." He looked over and saw Suguha approaching, letting out a smile. She had switched back after casting the spell and seeing that Sparkpelt handled the kittypet with ease. "Were those your butterflies?"

"Yup." She noticed the blood dripping down his cheek. "I'm sorry that I didn't activate it sooner. Does it hurt?"

"It's fine, Suguha, don't worry." He assured her. "Thank you both for helping." The tom began to head up the slope.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Sparkpelt asked.

"Home." He then turned around. "How long have you both been following me?"

"Ever since you left camp." Suguha told him. "We don't mean to make you mad, Alderheart. We were just concerned, that's all."

"Why were you out here, anyway?"

"Medicine-cat stuff. You wouldn't understand." Suguha noticed he seemed distraught about something. _Maybe it's because he didn't find the answer he was looking for._ Sparkpelt ran in front of him, blocking his way.

"What's wrong? Are you annoyed with me? Did I do something wrong? I know you're not mad at Suguha, you never could be." He glared at his sister.

"What's wrong with you?!" He lashed out. "We've always been close, and now it's like I don't even know you anymore!"

"We're still close…aren't we?" Hurt filled Sparkpelt's meow. "Is this about Larksong? I know I've been a bit distracted by him for a while."

"No…that's not all. How could you be so oblivious! You don't care how I feel about SkyClan, me worrying about the prophecy, or how embarrassing it feels needing help fighting a kittypet. You always think everything you do is okay, when it isn't!" Suguha felt her heart ache for the two. They had always been inseparable ever since she first met them.

"I know how you feel about SkyClan…but I can have a different opinion about it, too." She began. "I really do care that you're worried about the prophecy, too, and sure, I have been distracted by Larksong so much that I haven't had a serious talk with you…and I'm sorry. What I'm not sorry about is helping you with that kittypet. I'd never let anyone hurt my brother." The tom looked over at his sister.

"Alderheart? Are you going to say it?" Suguha looked at him with a gentle smile.

"I love you, sis. I'm really sorry for acting up and everything that I said. I was being oversensitive and wrong for thinking that you shouldn't be entitled to your own opinions…even though they're wrong." Sparkpelt gave him a shove.

"It's okay. Your sensitivity is what makes you an amazing brother, after all." She nuzzled his shoulder. "C'mon, let's get back to camp. Suguha and I will tell everyone how easily you took on that kittypet. You'll definitely get the biggest piece of prey, no questions asked."

"Maybe the second largest piece will do. I don't want to be too greedy." He said with a smile before looking over at the black she-cat. "Sorry you had to see us fight, Suguha."

"It's okay. I'm really happy that you both made up. You're both my favorite siblings in camp, after all." She meowed. "Let's get back to camp now. I'm sure Kazuto can't wait to hear how badly you beat up that kittypet."

The three cats climbed up the slope and turned towards the forest. The sky had begun to darken, a cool breeze in the air.

"Alderheart, if you ever need to make another journey like this, tell us. We'll be more than happy to come along." Sparkpelt told him.

"Will do." Alderheart meowed. "So…do you really like Larksong?"

"Yes…a lot."

"Is it because he reminds you of Lelouch and Kirito? They all have black fur, after all." Suguha teased, causing Sparkpelt's face to burn with embarrassment.

"W-Well at least I can be with him! Lelouch is already with Ivypool, and Kirito has Asuna…but I still have crushes on them, that'll never go away."

"At least you're honest about that." Alderheart said with a laugh.

"Yeah…but seriously…I like being with Larksong, and I think he feels the same way about me. Do you both think that he likes being with me?"

"Why wouldn't he? You're funny, smart, and an amazing warrior." Alderheart told him.

"Don't forget that Kazuto has called you cute before. I think you have a chance with Larksong."

"W-Wait…he actually said that?" Sparkpelt asked, the black she-cat nodding. "Maybe I should keep trying to be with Kirito then and give Asuna some competition." Alderheart let out a small chuckle, but suddenly, the fun atmosphere they currently had immediately became overshadowed by dread. Alderheart turned around and saw from out of the bushes, a brown and white dog came charging at them. Suguha quickly stepped in front of the two and pushed them back, swiping at the dog's muzzle. It swiftly ducked its muzzle down and clamped down onto Suguha's hindleg, the she-cat wincing in pain as she was being dragged towards the bracken.

"Suguha!" Alderheart leaped onto the dog, landing on its head and viciously striking at it, while Sparkpelt latched onto its back. The dog released its grip on Suguha and attempted to bite Alderheart, but to no avail. It cried out in pain, finally shaking the two off by knocking them into a tree before running away. Alderheart panted for his breath and looked over at Sparkpelt.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine…but what about Suguha? She took the bite for us." Alderheart's eyes widened and he looked over at the fallen she-cat. He ran over to her and saw that her eyes were closed.

"Suguha! Suguha!" He gave her body a shake.

"Is she okay?" Sparkpelt asked, walking over to where her body was.

"Y-yeah." Alderheart's heart jumped when he saw her dark gray eyes open. "Are you both okay?" She looked over at Alderheart and saw tears swelling up in his eyes. "Alderheart, I'm okay, really. I'm sorry for worrying you." He shook his head and felt her injured hindleg.

"Nothing's broken. Thank StarClan…" He meowed. Relief flooded over the tom. _She risked her life to save both of us…She could've died!_ Unexpectedly, he pressed his muzzle close to Suguha's. "I…love you, Suguha…I love you so much."

"I love you too, Alderheart." She meowed with ease.

"N-No…I mean…I _love_ you." Sparkpelt's eyes widened and she let out a smile. A blush formed on the she-cat's face. "I…know I'm a medicine cat…but you've always cared for me so much. Back on the journey to the gorge…and even in camp. Y-You've always been there for me…and I just…wanted to finally let you know how I've felt…in case I never get the opportunity to."

"A-Alderheart…I don't know what to say…"

"And here you were complaining that I had feelings for Larksong! I've always known you've liked Suguha, it was soooo obvious. I bet it's also because she looks around our age now, too!"

"T-That's not true at all!" Her brother stammered. "M-Maybe it helped a little bit…" Suguha gave the tom a lick to the face.

"I had a feeling. I care for you so much, Alderheart. I guess I'm not surprised that you feel this way towards me."

"Oh…"

"I-I don't mean it in a bad way!" She assured the tom. "We should get back to ThunderClan now."

"Your wound!" Alderheart had been preoccupied with confessing his love that he forgot about it. "Here, let me help you up." Suguha slowly got to her paws. "Can you walk?"

"I think so." The she-cat slowly began to limp towards ThunderClan, Alderheart and Sparkpelt walking over next to her.

"We'll help you. It's the least we can do after taking on that dog." Sparkpelt meowed.

"Me? You both made it run away. I was just the distraction." The black she-cat told them. "We're going to have a lot to talk about when we get back to camp."


	5. Chapter 5: The Storm?

Chapter 5: The Storm?

 _Dark clouds loomed above_ the lake. Rain was imminent at any moment. Nightheart sat down in the warriors' den beside Suguha, the two each enjoying a mouse from the fresh-kill pile.

"How's your leg doing today? Does it still hurt?" The violet-eyed she-cat asked.

"Not as much as yesterday. Alderheart, Asuna, and Jayfeather really helped soothe the pain." She replied. "I'm just glad I'm still able to walk. I love dogs in my world, but now…I'm not so sure anymore. I think I'm more of a cat person now." Nightheart let out a giggle.

"Sounds good to me." She took a bite of her mouse. "Did Alderheart really tell you how he felt yesterday?"

"Who told you?" Suguha wondered before realizing. "Sparkpelt?" She nodded. "I hope nothing bad happens."

"I'm sure nothing will. After all, Jayfeather does like Asuna. I'm sure it works the same way." Nightheart looked up at the sky from inside the den. "At least you won't need to move anytime soon. Hopefully we don't get too much rain." The two saw Ivypool walk into the den. "Oh, hello, mother."

"Hi, Nightheart. Hi, Suguha. Is your leg feeling better?"

"Definitely. Jayfeather says I should give it a few days before I leave camp. Luckily I was able to convince him to let me move around instead of staying in the medicine cat's den."

"That's good to hear." Ivypool's blue gaze touched her daughter's violet eyes. "Have you seen your father around?"

"Father's not here?" Worry filled Nightheart's meow. "I hope he's okay. Didn't he go out on a hunting patrol?"

"Yeah, that's the last thing I saw him doing." Lionblaze informed them. "He'll be fine. They all haven't returned yet, so you have nothing to worry about."

Lelouch followed behind Dovewing as they made their way through the forest. It had been three days ever since they talked with each other in secret. Now was the time for Dovewing to leave ThunderClan, the rainy weather allowing for the perfect cover-up. They reached the clearing in SkyClan that used to belong to ThunderClan, which was also the spot where Dovewing and Tigerheart would meet. They both hoped that the tabby ShadowClan tom would be there waiting, but that wasn't the case.

"I can't believe it…I told him to meet me here at sunset…" Dovewing meowed sorrowfully.

"Maybe he's just running a bit late." Lelouch assured her.

"I don't think so. He sounded so unsure about coming with me when I talked to him about it. I…think he cares about ShadowClan more than his own kits." She began to sob.

"Dovewing, listen to me." Lelouch placed a paw on her shoulder, their eyes connecting. "Tigerheart _will_ be here." The she-cat sniffed before nodding her head.

"O-Okay."

"We'll wait for him together for as long as you want."

"You don't have to, Lelouch. Just talking with me…and even coming here with me has been more than enough help." She meowed. "Plus, I don't want your fur getting wet by staying out here for too long." He let out a chuckle.

"What kind of friend would I be if I left just because of fear of wet fur?" He pointed his gaze towards ShadowClan. _Tigerheart…I know you care about Dovewing too much to leave her alone on this journey. Please prove to me that I'm right._

After waiting for almost a half-hour, Dovewing let out a sigh and shook her head. Lelouch was shocked. He felt bad that he assured Dovewing that her mate would be here, only for him not to show up at all. The sky had just begun to lose its red hue, nighttime now slowly encroaching.

"Dovewing…I."

"It's not your fault, Lelouch." She told him. "Maybe…StarClan wanted me to make this journey by myself." Her green gaze touched his violet eyes. "Would you…come with me, Lelouch?" The tom looked at her in astonishment. "You're the only other cat who knows what's going on." The tom shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Dovewing. You know how much I care about you…but I'm already lying to Ivypool by not telling her anything. I'd be leaving my family, too. I know you're doing the same…but..." The she-cat began to cry again.

"It was stupid for me to ask even more from you after you've already done so much for me." She assured him. "I don't know if I'm doing the right thing anymore."

"You can still come back to ThunderClan, Dovewing. I'll still be there to help you in any way possible."

"B-But the last thing I want is my kits to be in danger because they're not fully ThunderClan. I can't let that burden fall on them." She wiped her tears away with a paw, a new surge of confidence in her eyes. "Yes, this is for them. I want them to grow up happily and without danger. If Tigerheart doesn't want to be there…so be it." Dovewing turned to face the northern edge of the forest, near the marshy areas of ShadowClan.

"You'll be an amazing mother, Dovewing, there's no doubt about it." The tom told her. "I guess I'll see you when you get back, whenever that'll be." She turned to face the tom.

"Yeah. I'll make sure to so they can meet their Twoleg-turned-cat uncle." She meowed with a smile. Dovewing walked up to Lelouch and brushed her head below his muzzle, letting out a purr. "Thank you so much for everything, Lelouch."

"I should thank you for letting me in on this. I was glad to help, Dovewing." The two broke away from each other, their eyes connecting once more. "Stay safe, okay."

"I will." She meowed with a nod. Turning, Dovewing made her way towards the edge of the forest, Lelouch watching until she was finally out of his sight. He looked up at the sky and saw that the moon now glowed partially through the dark clouds above. _I can't go back to camp yet. I need to get rid of Dovewing's scent on me. I can at least close some distance before the rain gets too heavy._ Lelouch now made his way back to ThunderClan, hoping that the rain would start to drizzle at any minute. As he was walking, he heard pawsteps quickly approaching. He turned towards SkyClan territory and watched as Tigerheart leaped through a patch of brambles, the tom almost slipping. His amber eyes looked over at the tom in shock.

"Lelouch, is that you?" He shook his head, the ShadowClan deputy disoriented. "It is! Do you know where Dovewing is? She didn't leave already, did she?"

"She told you to meet her at sunset. We waited for you, and now here you are." There was a hint of scorn in the black tom's voice. "Do you really care about Dovewing, Tigerheart?"

"More than anything. Don't start with me by telling me that I don't." He growled. "You don't know how hard this is for me! What we're doing is beyond how simple it was for you and Ivypool to be together!" The tom's violet eyes grew soft.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have said that, Tigerheart." He apologized. "I just kept reassuring Dovewing by telling her that you'd show up…and now she's out there alone."

"I know…and that's because I was too stupid to put my life here over the life of my kits and the cat I love the most." He meowed. "When did she leave?"

"Only a few minutes ago. I'm sure you can still catch up to her." Lelouch flinched as a drop of water landed on his head. Slowly, rain began to pour down on the forest. "Be careful, Tigerheart."

"Yeah. Thanks for helping us, Lelouch. I really appreciate it."

"It's nothing. You should get going now before the rain picks up."

"Right!" Tigerheart continued his sprint towards the clearing, Lelouch shaking the rain off of his fur before he continued his walk back to camp.

Lelouch crossed through the thorn tunnel and saw that the clearing was completely deserted. He made his way into the warriors' den and walked inside. When Ivypool caught sight of him, she immediately ran over and pressed close to the tom.

"Where were you?! Nightheart and I were worried sick!"

"I was out hunting. I couldn't find something, so I stayed out for a while longer and then it started raining." He looked over at Nightheart. "I'm sorry for worrying you, Nightheart."

"It's okay, father, but don't come any closer. We're all trying to stay dry right now."

"I wouldn't mind." Kirito meowed. He then let out a devious grin. "If I were you, I'd come over here and just shake all that water off."

"Would you really? I'd hate you so much, Kirito." Sorrelstripe told him.

"Would you?" Lionblaze gazed playfully at his daughter.

"Y-Yes! We might as well be in RiverClan if he did that!"

"C'mon, you don't really mean that." The black tom said with a chuckle. "Okay, but what if Lelouch did it?"

"I don't think they could do anything, Kazuto. He does have a family here." Suguha replied.

"Even more reason to do it then! C'mon Lelouch!" He insisted.

"I'd never do it, Kirito. The last thing we'd need is sick cats." He rested down near the entrance to the den, Ivypool doing the same. "Hopefully I don't get you sick, Ivypool."

"I'll be okay." As she snuggled closer to her mate, her blue eyes widened. "Wait…where's Dovewing? Didn't she go out hunting as well?" The cats looked around the den, now realizing that the gray she-cat was missing. "Lelouch, did you go out with her?"

"We all split up to cover more ground. The last time I saw her was when we were all still in a group." He told her. "Hollytuft, you didn't see her at all while you were out?" The black she-cat shook her head.

"No. Did you, Snowbush?" The white tom did the same.

"I hope she's okay, especially with this weather outside." Nightheart meowed. "We'll have to tell Bramblestar about it tomorrow."

"Right. It'll be hard to do anything now with the rain." Lelouch added. He gave Ivypool a lick on the forehead. "She's okay, Ivypool. I'm sure she knows how to take care of herself out there. If anything, she might just be taking shelter right now somewhere. It is raining pretty hard." The tom pressed closer to her. "Let's get some rest. We'll go look for her first thing in the morning." Ivypool rested her head on his black coat. She was worried. _Ivypool…I'm sorry. I promised Dovewing I wouldn't say anything._

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"Dovewing! Are you out there? It's pretty rainy outside and we might catch a cold if you don't come out!" Kirito called out as he, Suguha, Nightheart, Ivypool, and Lelouch looked through the northern side of ThunderClan. They had told Bramblestar about Dovewing's sudden disappearance and he immediately ordered two groups to head out in search for her. It didn't help that it was raining still, any scent of the pale gray warrior completely wiped away.

"Can we please take this seriously?" Ivypool said, irritation in her meow. "We can't scent her at all, and even if she did take shelter last night, there's no way she doesn't know her way back to ThunderClan."

"Could she have been taken by Twolegs?" Her daughter asked.

"They're usually not out here, and the rain would make them want to stay away from here even more." Lelouch replied.

"So then maybe she was fighting something?" Suguha suggested. "Could the rogues have attacked her?" Kirito shook his head.

"I went on border patrol with some of the others. We haven't scented any of them in a long time." He informed them. "There's no way she'd lose a fight either…unless she was ambushed by kittypets or loners."

"Kittypets, I doubt…but loners could be a possibility." Lelouch looked over at Ivypool. "What do you think?"

"I just hope that she's alright, that's it." She replied. "I don't think she was attacked either. No cat would want to be out in this weather…except for her, apparently." Ivypool let out a sigh. "This is hopeless. We'll never find her with how horrible this weather is." The downpour suddenly intensified. "I had to say something…"

"Let's get back to camp. The last thing the Clan needs is sick cats." Nightheart meowed. The others agreed and they quickly made their way towards camp to seek shelter.

"Kirito, can't you use your tracking to find Dovewing?" Ivypool suggested as they were running.

"I already tried. I put her name in, but I can't pick up any footprints or anything. This rain really messes that ability up." He told her. "Sorry it couldn't be any more help."

"It's okay, it's not your fault. I just have to hope for the best at this point."

When they arrived back at camp, the five immediately took shelter, shaking their fur off before joining some of the others.

"This rain doesn't look like it'll be stopping anytime soon." Lelouch meowed. He turned towards Lionblaze. "I'm guessing your patrol couldn't find any sign of her?" The tom nodded.

"We're sorry, Ivypool." The golden tom apologized. "We really tried looking, but there's no sign of her on our territory."

"I just…wish I knew why she left. She didn't tell anyone…not even me. We've been distant lately…and I feel like maybe I'm why she ran off." Nightheart placed her tail on her mother's shoulder.

"Dovewing would never leave because of you, mother. I'm sure there was another reason." She assured her. Lelouch's heart tightened at the sight. _What Ivypool's going through right now is because of me. I can't tell anyone about why Dovewing left. Who knows what danger she and Tigerheart will be in when they return?_

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Rain continued to drizzle down onto the forest the next day. Ivypool, Lelouch, Lionblaze, and Kirito made their way towards ShadowClan. After failing to find Dovewing on ThunderClan territory, Bramblestar decided to send out a patrol to SkyClan and ShadowClan, hoping that they had seen her around.

"At least the rain isn't as bad right now." Kirito said. "I don't remember the last time I've seen rainy weather this constant, and it doesn't even look like it's going to let up anytime soon."

"It definitely can be problematic. Let's hope that it isn't." Lionblaze replied. He looked over at Ivypool. "So, do you think Tigerheart might have an idea about where Dovewing is?"

"Positive. You three know how much they like each other. As much as I don't like it, we'll need to talk to him about it. He _has_ to know." Concern filled Lelouch's eyes. _I can't do it anymore. After we ask SkyClan…I'm going to tell her the truth._

They arrived in ShadowClan's camp, the warriors eying the ThunderClan cats with malice. Tawnypelt approached the group.

"What brings you four to ShadowClan?"

"We're missing a warrior." Lelouch told her. "Dovewing has gone missing and we're wondering if any of you have seen her."

"Is Tigerheart here? We'd like to ask him about her." Ivypool said.

"He's out on a patrol right now?"

"What?!" The others looked over at Lelouch. _Tigerheart's still here?_ He noticed the eyes on him and cleared his throat. "Sorry...I was just surprised that your deputy is out on patrol, but I realized the circumstances your Clan is facing right now."

"What's going on here?" Rowanstar joined Tawnypelt after noticing the ThunderClan cats from afar.

"One of their Clanmates is missing." His mate told him. "It's Dovewing."

"I see. None of my patrols have seen her around. With the weather as it is, I don't think we can offer to help look for her if that is what you came here to ask."

"No, we just were wondering if any cat has seen her, that's all. We understand now isn't the best time to search." Lelouch told him. "Thank you for at least speaking with us, Rowanstar, we appreciate it." The tom bowed his head in thanks.

"You're welcome. Hopefully your warrior shows up eventually." The four cats turned around and left ShadowClan's camp, now making their way towards SkyClan. When they reached the SkyClan border, the cats waited for a patrol to meet with them. After a while, Ivypool let out a sigh.

"We're just going to keep getting wet if we stand here. Let's just go to their camp. I'm sure Lelouch can work out an apology to them when we get there." He looked over at his mate and saw her let out a small smile. He was happy to see her like that, but all it did was increase the guilt he felt inside. He knew there was going to be repercussions from telling her the truth, especially since they were mates.

"Okay then, let's go." Lelouch took the lead, the other three following behind. They reached the entrance to SkyClan's camp, their fur completely drenched. Kirito shook his fur off, causing the others to flinch.

"Kirito! You're just going to get wet again anyway!" Ivypool complained.

"Oh…right. Sorry, you three." He meowed with a chuckle. They entered SkyClan's camp and saw Leafstar standing behind the stream that ran through the middle of their camp. They approached her, some of the SkyClan cats doing the same. Twigpaw ran over to join the leader, Noctis and Leafpool following behind. When they reached her, Lelouch bowed his head.

"I'm sorry that we're here uninvited. We were hoping a patrol would find us, but with how the weather is, waiting wasn't exactly the best option." He told her.

"I understand. We don't have much warriors for constant patrols, and this weather is definitely problematic." She replied.

"Hi Kirito!" The apprentice meowed.

"Hey Twigpaw! You liking it here?"

"Yeah, but I'm still getting a bit used to it." She meowed. "How's Asuna?"

"Great! She misses you, you know." He looked over at Noct. "You taking care of her?"

"Better than if you were here instead of me, that's for sure." The two shared a laugh.

"I don't mean to break up the reunion you're having, but can we be serious?" Ivypool asked before her gazed locked onto Leafstar's. "We're looking for Dovewing. Two days ago, she went missing."

"Missing? Did she tell any cat where she was going?" Lionblaze shook his head.

"She left without a trace. No cat knows where she's going."

"That's horrible!" Leafpool meowed. "Can I assume you've checked all around the forest?" Ivypool replied with a nod.

"We just went to ask ShadowClan if they saw her, but they haven't." Leafstar looked over at Sandynose.

"Have you seen her at all?"

"No cat's told me anything." He meowed. Ivypool's gaze turned towards Twigpaw, the apprentice slowly backing away. They followed her stern gaze and now Leafstar looked over at Twigpaw.

"Do you know something about Dovewing's disappearance?"

"No…b-but I saw her and Tigerheart on our border with ThunderClan a quarter-moon ago." She admitted.

"Were they on our territory?" Sandynose questioned.

"Yes, but they weren't talking about SkyClan or anything. They were just talking about ShadowClan. Tigerheart sounded worried." Sandynose approached her.

"Why didn't you say anything about it?" Noctis placed his tail in front of her.

" _We_ didn't think it was that big of a deal." He meowed defiantly.

"Of course you were with her. How does that not surprise me?" Sandynose retorted.

"Hey, at least with me she isn't falling out of trees just because you don't appreciate her!" The tom spat. "You don't deserve to be her mentor at all!"

"That's enough you two!" Leafstar stood between the toms. She looked over at Ivypool. "You may look around SkyClan, but you must be back on ThunderClan territory by sunset."

"Very well. Thank you, Leafstar." Lelouch turned around with the others and left the camp. They decided to split up into two groups. Lelouch and Ivypool took the area near SkyClan's border with ThunderClan, while Lionblaze and Kirito took the area near SkyClan's border with ShadowClan. They agreed that if they finished searching to just go back to ThunderClan.

Ivypool took the lead, Lelouch following behind her. He noticed that when they reached the ThunderClan border, she simply walked past it.

"Wait, you don't want to look for Dovewing?"

"I know for a fact she isn't around here. It's hopeless to look around anymore. We're better off just going back to ThunderClan." Defeat filled her meow as she padded towards camp.

"Ivypool…can we talk?" She turned around to face the tom.

"About…" Her nose twitched and she looked towards a bush behind the tom. Lelouch also turned around and he picked up Tigerheart's scent. The tom walked through the brush and saw the two. "Tigerheart…are you here to tell us you don't know where Dovewing is?"

"I don't know where she is!" He quickly meowed.

"But you knew she was leaving…didn't you?"

"I…yes." He admitted. "I tried stopping her…but she wouldn't listen to me." He looked over at Lelouch. "I was only able to track her as far as the Thunderpath beside the marsh."

"That's it? Were you afraid of the monsters?" Resentment filled Ivypool's voice.

"My Clan needs me right now."

"Oh, but you could abandon my sister?" She spat.

"I thought you didn't want me and her to be together!" The tabby tom responded, a hint of confusion in his meow.

"Yeah, but I rather know she's out there with someone than alone!" Ivypool moved closer to the tom. "I knew that you didn't care about Dovewing. You never did. She'd still be here if you did. This is all your fault!" Claws unsheathed, she slashed them across his muzzle, blood now dripping along with the rain. Lelouch grabbed Ivypool by the scruff, pulling her away.

"Ivypool…enough." Lelouch told her. She looked at her mate in shock. "He's already going through a lot right now."

"I don't care! If he loved Dovewing, he would be out there with her, or he would've stopped her!" She glared at the tom. "I don't ever want to see him near my sister again! Stay away from my daughter, too! I hate you!"

"He doesn't deserve all the hate, Ivypool." Lelouch meowed. Her blue eyes touched his violet gaze. "I'm sorry…but I knew that Dovewing was going to leave as well." Her eyes widened in shock, and she took a step back from him.

"I knew it…I knew you were lying to me, Lelouch…" Ivypool's eyes began to glisten. "I wanted to believe you when you said you didn't know anything, but…all this time…you could've told me about Dovewing…while you watched us search for her. How could you?"

"Because Dovewing trusted me not to tell anyone. She couldn't tell you because it had to do with her and Tigerheart."

"But you couldn't even tell me? Your own _mate?_ "

"I couldn't." He looked back at Tigerheart. "Can't you see that they love each other? I know you're just looking out for Dovewing's safety, but…if it were us…wouldn't you try?"

"You always say that when we talk about them! The fact is that it isn't us, Lelouch! Why are you always on Dovewing's side all the time?! Do you love her more than me? Is that it?"

"That's not it at all, and you know it!"

"Then why'd you go through so much trouble to help her leave? Why didn't _you_ stop her?"

"Because it was the only way for her and Tigerheart to escape any trouble they'd be in so they could be together." He told her. "You have to understand, Ivypool. Would you really…"

"No, I wouldn't! I'd never break the warrior code, even if it meant not being able to be your mate!" Lelouch's body grew cold at her words. "Is that what you wanted to hear? Will you finally stop using that against me?" The tom stayed silent. Ivypool's ears fell flat when she noticed the sorrow in the tom's gaze. "Lelouch…I didn't mean…"

"I'll be back at camp." He told her before looking over at Tigerheart. "I know it's hard for you to choose, but please go out and be with Dovewing. She needs you now more than ever." Lelouch made his way back to camp, Ivypool glancing back at Tigerheart before chasing after him.

"Lelouch, wait, please!" She called out, but he continued walking. She caught up to the tom and began walking next to him. "I'm sorry for what I said. I was just…angry and my emotions took the best of me."

"Why should I believe you? You constantly accuse me of loving Dovewing just because I want to help her. Paired with that, I wouldn't be surprised if you actually meant what you said, Ivypool." His voice was harsh. "Have I not been good enough for you?"

"You have! I just...wish my own sister trusted me more than you." She admitted. "I know she loves Tigerheart, but I can't accept that…even though he makes her happy. Because of that, she's out there alone, risking her life for StarClan knows what. I can't help but worry about her." Ivypool's soft blue gaze touched his violet eyes. "I'd do anything to stay with you, Lelouch, I swear. I didn't mean what I said back there." She pressed her head onto his shoulder. "Please forgive me, Lelouch…please."

"I know you didn't." He meowed. "I should be sorry, too. I promise I won't hide anything away from you anymore, Ivypool." She let out a soft smile, causing him to do the same.

"Oh! I forgot it was raining! We should get back to camp now." The tom nodded and they continued their walk back home.

"Ivypool…I should tell you more about what's going on with Dovewing, but I need you to promise that you won't say anything back at camp."

"I promise." Lelouch let out a breath.

"Dovewing left camp because she had been having dreams. Her dreams had been scaring her, but she told me that one of her dreams told her where to go. She's looking for what humans call a city. It has tall Twoleg dens all around. She says she's looking for a pointy building, but I don't even know what that's referring to." He explained.

"But…why would she be having dreams to tell her to leave?"

"Because…she's expecting her and Tigerheart's kits. Leaving would be the only way she and Tigerheart could have them without getting into any trouble, and so that they could be safe." Ivypool stopped and looked at Lelouch in disbelief.

"I-Is that true?"

"Yes. That's why I couldn't say anything. If anyone finds out, you know what could happen to them."

"He left my sister and her kits alone?! I knew he was a bad mate for her! What if she has them while she's alone? Kitting isn't an easy job."

"She told me she thinks they'll come in a moon, but I'm not sure how far away the place is." He said. "Ivypool…please promise that you'll keep this between us. No cat can know about it at all."

"I promise…especially since the last thing I need is for Dovewing to get into any trouble." She meowed. "Sorry for stopping. I'm just…surprised and shocked, that's all."

"Understandable." The two continued their walk back to camp. "It must be your worst nightmare, huh?" The tom joked.

"Yeah…Tigerheart's part of the family now…but on the bright side, Nightheart is going to have some cousins _and_ siblings eventually. She's going to be so happy." She said. "I just hope Tigerheart listens to you and goes after her. As much as I don't like him, Dovewing would be safer with him around."

When the two arrived back at camp, they saw that the clearing began to flood, each den protected by a barrier of sticks and mud in case the massive puddle grew any bigger. They saw Asuna splash through the puddle to greet the two.

"Where's Kirito and Lionblaze?" She wondered. "They're okay, right?" Ivypool nodded.

"SkyClan let us look for Dovewing on their territory. Lelouch and I looked near our border, and they looked near SkyClan's border with ShadowClan." She replied.

"Did any of them see her?"

"Unfortunately. ShadowClan and SkyClan saw no sign or scent of her, which makes sense with this horrible weather." The black tom said.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I hope we find her soon, Ivypool." The cream she-cat meowed. The crumble of pebbles sounded nearby, the three looking over at the small rocks falling from Highledge.

"I think we need to evacuate camp." Ivypool meowed. "The last time the weather was this bad, we lost Longtail and Briarlight was crippled." Her gaze touched Asuna's hazel eyes. "Where's Bramblestar and Squirrelflight?"

"They're out hunting with Brightheart, Sparkpelt, and Berrynose." Asuna looked over at the medicine cat's den. "If you think it's going to be bad, I'll go tell Alderheart and Jayfeather so we can get ready." As she was walking over, a chunk of rock at the top of Highledge teetered before finally diving down and crumbling once it made impact with the base of Highledge, its fragments scattering from above.

"Asuna, watch out!" Ivypool called out. The three dived towards the edge of the camp, clearing the way for the rocks to splash into the puddle below.

"Go get Nightheart." Lelouch told his mate, who darted towards the warriors' den. "Everyone! We need to evacuate camp, now!" He gazed towards Highledge, the cliff's edge sagging down as earth and dirt began to pile up. The rock slowly began to crack, its sudden fissure reverberating across the camp. "Brackenfur!" The golden tabby turned to face him. "Clear out the warriors' den and elders' den! Make sure everyone makes their way to the lakeshore!"

"Right!" The tom ran over to the elders' den, Lelouch scanning the camp to see who needed any assistance. He saw that Ivypool and Nightheart were waiting by the nursery to help Blossomfall with her kits. Once they had a hold of Shellkit and Stemkit, they evacuated camp, Blossomfall, Daisy, Cinderheart, and Thornclaw following behind. He looked over at the elders' den and saw that Graystripe and Millie were just leaving the den.

"Fernsong, go help Graystripe and Millie!" He ordered, the golden tom heading towards the two elders. He watched as most of the warriors quickly began to leave camp. _Okay, every den is cleared out except for the medicine cat's den._ Another rock crashed into Highledge, drenching the escaping cats with muddy water. He ran towards the den and saw that the cats were in a frenzy.

"I can't carry any more herbs!" Asuna panicked as she began to create bundles with Alderheart and Suguha, while Jayfeather shielded Briarlight from the rock fragments from above.

"Birchfall! Cloudtail! Snowbush! We need help!" The violet-eyed tom called out. Once they arrived, Lelouch walked over to where Jayfeather was. "Birchfall, can you help put Briarlight on my back?" The tom walked over and lifted her backside up while Lelouch grabbed her by the scruff. Once she was on, Lelouch looked over at her. "You okay?"

"I-I'm fine." She meowed.

"Okay. We need to get out of here everyone, now!" Lelouch began to leave the medicine cat's den, the others following.

"My herbs!" Jayfeather cried out as Cloudtail began to push him out of the den.

"Lives are more important than them right now!"

"They're half-rotten anyway." Alderheart added. Still, Jayfeather persisted, digging his claws down into the ground. "We've spent a moon collecting them! We need them if we want to survive leaf-bare!" The other cats now made their way deeper into the den, collecting as much herbs as they could. Lelouch grabbed a few pieces of catmint before leaving the den.

"C'mon, we can't stay here any longer!" He called out between gritted teeth. Asuna, Suguha, Jayfeather, Birchfall, and Cloudtail exited the den, Alderheart and Snowbush still inside.

"Alderheart! Snowbush! We have to go!" Suguha exclaimed as she and the others headed towards the exit. Lelouch stood at the exit, watching as the two toms finally left the den. He glanced up at the cliff top, horror filling his gaze.

"Alderheart! Snowbush! Get out of there!" He yelled in despair. He watched as a massive piece of rock separated away from the cliff, dropping towards the clearing. "Briarlight, hold on, okay?" He told her, but as he was about to run, a flash of black fur dashed past him. It was Suguha. Desperately, the she-cat began to close the distance as the rock made its descent. Lelouch watched as Snowbush shoved Alderheart forward so Suguha could grab him by the scruff and pull him away just before the rock crashed into the clearing. The patter of rain was now the only sound echoing through the camp.

Suguha slowly got to her paws and looked over at Alderheart. She shook the pieces of rock from her fur and began to cough, muddy water getting into her mouth after consuming her and Alderheart. "Are you okay, Alderheart?"

"Y-Yeah. Thank you, Suguha." He pressed closer to her, but shock filled his gaze. "Snowbush!" The two looked over at the fallen white bundle of fur next to the pile of debris. They walked over, Lelouch joining them, Asuna trailing behind.

"Oh no…" Briarlight's voice was filled with worry.

"We need to pull him out!" Alderheart commanded. Asuna and Suguha worked together to get the tom clear from the fallen rubble.

"Anyone! Help!" Lelouch called out towards the entrance.

"Suguha, can you go get help?" Alderheart asked the she-cat. She nodded and left the camp, Lelouch looking down as he watched Alderheart roll the tom onto his back. He now pressed his paws against his chest, hoping that he would breathe.

"C'mon…C'mon!" Alderheart pressed his paw continuously, hoping that he could revive the tom. Hope filled his gaze when Snowbush began to cough, the muddy water being released from his body. Asuna's hazel eyes gleamed and she looked through the tom, using her power to check how the rest of his body was.

"Thank StarClan he's okay." Briarlight meowed. Suguha raced through the entrance and returned with Fernsong, Birchfall, and Cloudtail, Lilyheart following behind them. At the sight of her fallen mate, her eyes glistened and she ran over to his side.

"He's okay." Alderheart assured her. Asuna looked over at him, worry in her gaze.

"His leg is broken, but that's all." Asuna added.

"We need to get him out of here before anything terrible happens." Lilyheart meowed, gazing towards Highledge.

"Be careful with him." Alderheart told Fernsong and Cloudtail as they helped the tom get up.

"I-I'm okay." Snowbush meowed as he slowly got to his paws. The two toms pressed against him and helped guide him to the exit, Lilyheart and Fernsong following behind in case they needed help.

Lelouch gazed around the camp and saw the destruction that the rain had brought. Highledge was completely submerged with mud. Twigs and plants fell onto the clearing and onto the dens, the medicine cat's den being blocked by a pile of rocks.

"Look at this…I can't believe it." He looked up at the sky, the rain still pouring down. "This rain will never let up."

"Alderheart…could this be the storm that the prophecy was talking about?" Suguha wondered.

"I don't know. If it is, it's either ended…or it's just the beginning of something much worse." Lelouch turned to face the two.

"Let's go meet up with everybody else." He looked over at Briarlight. "You still okay?"

"Are _you?_ I hope I'm not too heavy for you, Lelouch." She meowed.

"I should be able to make it to the lake. If anything it's my inherent weakness, not your weight." He assured her as he made his way over to the exit of camp.

"Shouldn't we wait for the others who were out when this all happened?" Suguha asked.

"I'm sure they'll sense the traveling ThunderClan scent and follow us to the lake." The black tom assured her. Alderheart and Suguha padded over to join him and began their trek to the site of ThunderClan's temporary camp.

When they arrived, they were greeted by Nightheart, the she-cat running over when she caught sight of them. She looked over them all before letting out a sigh of relief.

"Thank StarClan you're all okay. How's the camp?"

"A mess. It'll take a while before we can move back in." Her father replied. "I'll be back. I'm going to drop Briarlight off near Jayfeather and Asuna." He walked over to where the medicine cats were and saw that they were looking over Snowbush. "How is he?" The two remained silent.

"He's okay." Asuna meowed, but he could tell it was a lie, possibly to not cause any worry. "I can help you with Briarlight." Lelouch rested down on the grass and Asuna gently grabbed the she-cat by the scruff and moved her off of the tom's back. "You must think you're dreaming right now, huh?" Briarlight dropped the herbs she was carrying, a sudden blush on her face. Lelouch let out a small smile at her embarrassment. He looked over and saw Bramblestar speaking with Squirrelflight.

"I'll see you all later. I hope you get well, Snowbush." As he approached the leader and deputy, they noticed him and turned.

"Lelouch, it's great to see that you're okay." Squirrelflight meowed. "Everyone's talking about how you evacuated the camp. You saved lives tonight."

"She's right. We're sorry that we weren't there to perform our roles as leader and deputy." Bramblestar added.

"It's not your fault. You did go out hunting to find food for the Clan, so it's not like you were out for nothing." He assured them. "Besides, Ivypool's the one who suggested we evacuate. She's the one who noticed the quarry walls begin to crumble. I just took the lead and instructed everyone on what to do."

"Regardless, we just wanted to thank you for what you did tonight." The deputy meowed. "Did you end up finding any leads on Dovewing?" The tom shook his head.

"SkyClan and ShadowClan haven't seen her. SkyClan let us check their territory, so we split up. Ivypool and I didn't find any trace of her, and I'm not sure about Kirito and Lionblaze. They're not here yet, are they?" He then saw the two toms dashing into the clearing, panting for their breath.

"Is everyone alright? Kirito and I walked into camp and saw what happened." Lionblaze stated. "Where's Cinderheart?" When the tom caught sight of his mate, he let out a sigh of relief before heading over to her. Kirito did the same when he saw Asuna.

"That should be everyone now." Bramblestar stated. "Once this rain gives way a bit, we'll start cleaning up camp. Again, thank you for the effort that you put in, Lelouch."

"You're welcome." He bowed his head and watched as he and Squirrelflight made their way over to the medicine cats. _What happened tonight was absolutely hectic. I don't think that StarClan would cause something like this to happen to ThunderClan…but is it actually possible that they did? Could the fallen warriors that they all look up to actually be the ones who caused this storm?_


	6. Chapter 6: Untimely Farewell

Chapter 6: Untimely Farewell

 _Noctis rested down in_ the clearing, letting out a sigh of relief. The rain had finally stopped, the autumn breeze blowing through his fur. _It's about time. Staying in the warriors den cramped with the others was getting uncomfortable._ His nose twitched at the sudden scent of ThunderClan cat and looked over at the entrance to the camp. Lelouch and Ivypool made their way into the clearing both Leafstar and Leafpool approaching them. Curious, the black tom walked over to join them.

"Hey you two." He greeted. Noctis then noticed their mud-laden, unkempt fur. "What happened? You both don't look so good."

"There was a rockslide in camp a few nights ago." Lelouch told him. "We had to leave. The camp is completely desolated."

"Ivypool! Lelouch!" From behind, Noctis saw Twigpaw running over to them. "Are you both okay?"

"We're fine, Twigpaw."

"There was a rockslide in ThunderClan." Noctis explained.

"What? Is everyone alright?" The apprentice asked.

"For the most part, other than a few injuries, but…Snowbush…he's in critical condition." The violet-eyed tom's voice was solemn. "All the medicine cats are keeping a close eye on him."

"How about Lilyheart? Please tell me she's okay." The apprentice was worried. She was the one who took care of her when she was young. She had to know how she was doing.

"She's okay. We're all just worried about Snowbush, that's all." Ivypool meowed.

"How about Blossomfall's kits?" Leafpool asked.

"They're safe. Ivypool, Nightheart and some of the others emptied the nursery before the worse of the rockslide occurred." The tom meowed.

"Maybe I should come back to help ThunderClan." The she-cat offered.

Ivypool shook her head. "It's okay. We have Jayfeather, Alderheart, and Asuna with us." She looked over at Leafstar. "We came here to ask for some herbs. We tried saving all we could…but with leaf-bare coming…"

"Say no more. We'll be glad to help." The SkyClan leader meowed.

"I can help, too! I know what the herbs look like!" Twigpaw offered, but Sandynose immediately placed his tail in front of her.

"You're supposed to be training."

"But it's an emergency!"

"Yes, it's ThunderClan's emergency, not ours." Noctis glared at the tom, but Leafpool placed her tail on his shoulder.

"Why don't you go help them, Noctis? I'm sure you know what to look for if I tell you."

"Twigpaw may come along as well." Leafstar added. "Both you and Noctis have an idea on what to look for, so I'm sure you'll both be plenty of help." Twigpaw nodded her head in thanks.

"Okay you four, you'll need thyme, comfrey, and marigold. Goldenrod is great if you can find it, nettles will suffice if you can't." They nodded, Ivypool looking over at Noctis and Twigpaw.

"We're relying on you two. Lead the way." As they were about to head out, they were stopped by Sandynose. "Excuse me, but we really have to get going."

"I understand. Just let me speak with Twigpaw quick, alone." Both Lelouch and Ivypool looked at each other before making their way out of the camp, but Noctis stood his ground. "How did I not see this coming?"

"If you have something to say to her, you can say it in front of me." He retorted.

"Fine, this fits for both of you, anyway." He focused his attention on Twigpaw, however. "Decide which camp you want to fight for. You can't live with a paw in two camps." With that, he walked away.

"Don't let him get to you, Twigpaw. Let's go." As Noctis made his way to the exit, he noticed Twigpaw stood still. He made his way back to her. "Twigpaw?"

"Do you like it here, Noct?"

"Like it? Yeah, of course I do, well, other than Sandynose, obviously."

"Are you just saying that because that's what you think I want to hear?" Twigpaw asked. "Be honest with me, Noctis. I don't want you staying here just because it'll make me happy. I know you want to stick with me for as long as you're here…but I don't want you being uncomfortable for my sake."

"I'm fine staying here, Twigpaw, honest." He assured her. "Don't let what Sandynose said get to you. You just want to help a Clan in need and it just so happens to be ThunderClan." He patted her on the head. "C'mon, Lelouch and Ivypool aren't going to find any of those herbs themselves!" Twigpaw let out a smile and followed the tom outside of the camp where the other two were waiting.

"What was that about?" Lelouch wondered.

"Nothing. Just Twigpaw's grumpy mentor, that's all."

"I can't believe that you still have to go through 'SkyClan training'. You should've gotten your warrior name a long time ago." Ivypool meowed. "Your mentor's also a complete jerk, too. Doesn't he remember that we're the Clan who let SkyClan stay in our camp?"

"He just wants what's best for SkyClan, that's all." Twigpaw said. "Let's just get to looking for those herbs now. The sooner we get them, the better." The apprentice took the lead, the three other warriors following behind her.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Asuna made her way through the forests of SkyClan as she headed to ShadowClan. ThunderClan was in need of catmint, and she had hoped that they'd offer her some. She was alone, Alderheart and Jayfeather keeping a close eye on Snowbush. _I really hope he's okay, but…from what I saw…_ Asuna heard a bush shake to her right and scented the air. She watched as Tigerheart walked through, the tom letting out a sigh of relief.

"Thank StarClan it's just you, Asuna. I was wondering why I caught your scent." He said. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing. This isn't ShadowClan territory, deputy." She joked.

"Actually…I was going to see you." He meowed. "I wasn't sure how I'd do it without being questioned, but luckily I ran into you." She tilted her head in confusion. _I wonder what he could want. Does he want me to come help in ShadowClan? I can't though…not after what happened last night._

"Okay. We should go by the lakeshore near ShadowClan. The last thing we need is SkyClan finding us." He nodded, the two leaving the forest and making their way to the shore. Once they got there, they sat down on the grass across from each other.

"So…what were _you_ doing on SkyClan territory?" The tom wondered.

"There was a rockslide last night in ThunderClan. We were able to salvage some herbs…but our catmint stock is low. With winter…I mean, leaf-bare, coming along, it's important that we have some. I was hoping that Rowanstar would be kind enough to lend some."

"For what you did for ShadowClan, I'm sure he'd be willing to." He told her.

"That's a relief." Asuna said. "So…what did you need me for, Tigerheart?" He looked around, using all his senses to make sure that they were alone. Once he was sure, his amber gaze touched her hazel eyes.

"I need some traveling herbs."

"Did Puddleshine run out?" Tigerheart shook his head.

"No…they're for me. I…I need to leave ShadowClan." Asuna looked at him in shock.

"What?! Is it because of Dovewing?" He nodded his head.

"Yeah. Listen…I'm only asking for your help because I trust you, Asuna." He told her, his gaze intense. "Can you promise not to tell any cat what I'm going to tell you?"

"Okay." He took a breath, and then exhaled.

"Dovewing left ThunderClan because…she says that she's been having visions about a place where to raise our kits…"

"You're both having kits!?" Joy filled the she-cat's eyes. "I'm so happy for you both!"

"Thanks…but could you keep it down, Asuna? The whole forest probably just heard you."

"Sorry! I just…it's good to hear news like this after everything that happened." She apologized. "Wait…so is that where Dovewing's going?"

"Yeah. I tried following after her…but I lost her scent trail. Now…I know I have to go be with her. I was a fool for putting my Clan duties before my family. That's why I need your help. Traveling herbs would make the journey much easier." Asuna swiped her paw down and looked through her inventory.

"Okay, I have enough for the beginning of your journey. Do you need them now?"

"No. I'm leaving tonight. Meet me at the clearing that used to be on ThunderClan territory. That's where Lelouch and Dovewing were the night she left."

"Wait…Lelouch knows about it, too?"

"Yeah. He helped talk with Dovewing about the journey. You're the only two who we've shared this with. Please keep it a secret for our sake."

"I promise that I will, Tigerheart. I don't want you both to get in any sort of trouble." She assured him. "So…the clearing tonight?" He nodded. "I'll be there."

"Thank you, Asuna." He touched his nose to her cheek, a small blush on her face. "S-Sorry if that came out of nowhere. I just…appreciate you helping us."

"It's okay. I'm not used to all these cat gestures still, that's all." She replied.

"Really? You've been here for how many moons?" He said with a laugh. "Oh, your herbs! Let's go get them. I'm sure ThunderClan would want you back as soon as possible."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Clouds covered the bright moon above ThunderClan's temporary camp near the lake. Kirito slowly opened his eyes and let out a yawn, rubbing his eyes afterwards. Once his vision became clear, he noticed that Asuna was missing. _That would explain why I feel a bit lighter._ _I wonder where she went._ Slowly, he got up from his nest and cautiously made his way out of the warriors' den, not wanting to wake any cats up. He swiped his paw down and tapped on his searching skill when the menu popped up, his eyes glowing green. He then tapped on the tracking skill from the sub-menu and typed in Asuna's name. Glowing green pawprints now appeared on the ground, some more faint than the others. Following the more visible tracks, Kirito made his way into the forest. _I doubt that she's in any sort of danger. Hopefully I don't walk in on her using the bathroom or something._ He told himself as he continued to follow the path.

At one point, he reached the edge of ThunderClan's territory and noticed the pawprints exceeded into SkyClan. _SkyClan? Maybe she's meeting with Leafpool about something?_ _Regardless, I'll stay hidden so I don't disturb them._ Kirito stepped over the SkyClan border and continued on westward, Asuna's scent growing stronger. As he was walking, a new scent touched his nose. _ShadowClan? Puddleshine, possibly? She had to have talked to him earlier._ He stopped behind a row of bushes when Asuna's scent was at its strongest.

"Okay, so this is burnet, chamomile, sorrel, and daisy. You can eat some for now, and I prepared an extra pouch for you to carry just in case."

"Do they always taste like this? I'm hesitant to take the pouch you made." _Is that who I think it is?_ Kirito slowly poked his head through the bushes and saw that Asuna was with Tigerheart. Quickly, he pulled his head back in, causing the two to look around. Kirito swiped a paw down and tapped on his hiding skill. He saw that the hiding meter slowly began to fill.

"Did you hear that?" Asuna wondered, looking around.

"Is someone here?" Tigerheart asked. "I think you're just being worried. We aren't supposed to be here after all."

"Right." Asuna meowed. "Well, that's all I can help you with, Tigerheart. Do you know at least where to start?"

"I have to cross the Thunderpath north of here. After that, I hope for the best."

"I'm sure it'll be worth it. Dovewing's going to be so happy to see you, I know it." She said with a smile. "Oh, and make sure to say hi to the kits for me. I can't wait to see them…that is if you both come back to the Clans."

"I'd like to…but I really only care about Dovewing and our kits right now. That thought can wait for later." He replied. "Thanks for everything, Asuna. I'll make sure our kits meet you if we come back." Picking up his bundle of herbs, Tigerheart left the clearing, now making the journey to be with Dovewing. Asuna let out a hopeful smile before turning around and making her way back to ThunderClan.

 _Dovewing and Tigerheart are having kits? I mean, I'm not surprised, but those two could be in serious trouble._ Kirito slowly followed behind Asuna and made his way back to camp. When she finally crossed back into ThunderClan, the black tom slowly creeped out of the bushes.

"Hey." Asuna jumped at the sudden sound of his voice and turned around to see the tom snickering.

"T-That's not funny, Kirito! You could've gave me a heart attack!" She yelled, giving the tom a shove. "Wait…did you follow me all the way here?!"

"Yup."

"Out of all the times you couldn't be fast asleep…" She muttered. "I knew I heard something. Your hiding skill is too helpful in this world." She meowed. "So…you know about Dovewing now, huh?"

"Yeah. I'm happy for them both. I'm guessing we're keeping this a secret?"

"Please? I don't want to see them both in any sort of trouble. This was the only way they could be happy."

"I promise I won't."

"Thank you, Kirito." She gave the tom a kiss on the cheek. "Let's get back to camp. I know I don't seem like it, but…" Asuna let out a yawn. "I'm so tired." The tom let out a laugh.

"I bet. You've been working your tail off all day." He said. "Let's hope no cat noticed that we're missing."

"I'm sure that since it's us two they'll assume we're together."

The two began walking towards the lake, making their way back to camp. As they were, Asuna looked over at Kirito, but then turned her gaze away.

"Something bothering you?" He asked.

"I guess you could say that." She replied. "I can't believe we've been in this world for so long. I always wonder what's going on back in our world, but unlike SAO…this place has been so comforting. When this is all over and we have to leave, I hope we can come back. It's not like these cats are just NPCs, they're actual friends."

"I'm sure we'll be able to come back. I'll see what Yui and I can do. Who knows? Maybe we can get some of the others to join us here, too. I'm sure we'd just need to play around with the file." When he said that, Asuna remembered about the e-mail that started their journey.

"That reminds me…we still have yet to meet or hear anything from Spottedleaf. She was the one who asked for our help in the first place, but we know she's somewhere other than StarClan."

"Right. She's definitely still a mystery, but I'm sure we'll meet her when the time comes."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Asuna placed a paw over Sorrelstripe's injured leg, an oak ointment being applied over it in a few seconds. It had been a few days ever since Tigerheart left the forest to follow Dovewing. She had hoped that the tom was okay. It didn't help worrying about him when their makeshift camp was slowly beginning to fall apart. Bramblestar had reported that the camp was still being cleared and it was only a matter of time before they transferred back into it. Still, Asuna couldn't help but worry about Snowbush.

"Is it sore at all?" Asuna asked the dark-brown she-cat.

"It just stings a bit." She replied.

"Well it doesn't seem infected, so that's a good thing. Give it a few days and it'll be okay."

"Right. Thanks, Asuna."

"It's good to see your leg's okay, Sorrelstripe." Lelouch meowed, a small blush on the she-cat's face as she left. Lelouch had been resting alongside Lilyheart, checking on Snowbush. _He's known them both ever since they were kits. He must be worried._ She broke away from her thoughts when she saw Snowbush's body begin to jerk uncontrollably, worrying the two.

"Alderheart! Jayfeather!" Asuna called out. She had no idea where they both were at the moment. Quickly, she felt through the tom's body. "He's burning up. Lilyheart, take some moss and bring some water from the lake!" Her hazel eyes looked over at Lelouch. "Help me hold him down!" Lelouch held him by his hind legs, while Asuna held his head in place. Alderheart darted towards them and held him by his chest. Asuna's eyes glowed as she looked at his convulsing figure. She knew that it was only moments before it all stopped. Saliva began to flow from the tom's mouth as foam began to appear afterwards. _There's nothing we can do…_ He continued his frantic movement for a while until it finally stopped. Asuna looked over at Alderheart, then over at Lelouch. Lilyheart ran towards them, moss in her jaws. She dropped it next to Snowbush's nest.

"Is he okay?" She asked.

"I'm…I'm sorry, Lilyheart." Lelouch meowed. "Snowbush…he's dead." Lelouch pressed closed to her, but she backed away in disbelief.

"No…it's can't be…" She shook her head. "His leg was broken, and that's it!"

"There was infection on the inside." Asuna explained. "There was no way that we could've reached it. I'm so sorry, Lilyheart." She brought a paw over to the tom's face and closed his eyes. Jayfeather reached them and sensed the dread in the air.

"StarClan will protect him now." He meowed.

"Protect him? Why couldn't they protect him before?!" It was more than obvious that Lilyheart was devastated. No cat had any sort of answer to give her. Asuna gazed down at Snowbush one last time before turning towards the ground. _StarClan helps the Clans with so much. They give them guidance and help them when they need it most, but…could they not save Snowbush?_

Asuna walked alongside Nightheart and Ivypool as they followed Bramblestar towards the island for tonight's Gathering. Lelouch had stayed behind with Lilyheart, Graystripe, Millie, and Jayfeather to sit vigil for Snowbush. The others would join them after the Gathering.

"I don't mean to ask, Asuna, but are you feeling alright?" Nightheart wondered.

"I'm okay. It's not the first death I've witnessed…but every single one always feels like the first."

"I feel like you're not the only cat. I know I definitely feel that way as well." Ivypool meowed. "You're not blaming yourself, are you, Asuna?" The cream she-cat shook her head.

"I would be lying if I said I didn't know that his injuries were internal. With my power, that was the first thing I noticed when I looked over him. It hurts because I knew what was going to happen…and it hurts even more mostly because I couldn't do anything to help him." She replied. "I didn't want to tell anyone. I couldn't." Ivypool could sense the pain in her voice.

"I'm sorry for asking, Asuna." She apologized.

"It's okay. Having someone here to listen helps more than me keeping it to myself." She looked over at Ivypool and let out a smile. _Ivypool…if you found out that I know about Dovewing…would we still be friends?_

When they finally reached the fallen tree bridge, Bramblestar took the lead, the rest of his Clan following behind. They were the last Clan to arrive. WindClan was position under the Great Oak, while SkyClan waited in the middle of the clearing, and ShadowClan stood to the very edge of the island, Rowanstar away from his Clanmates. _I wonder what that's all about._

"I'll see you both later." Asuna meowed to the mother and daughter before she followed Alderheart to join up with the other medicine cats. When they reached them, Leafpool looked over with a smile.

"How's Snowbush?" She asked.

"He died this afternoon." Alderheart told her.

"From the infection?" Asuna nodded her head.

"There was no way to stop it from spreading. We tried and hoped for the best, but...hope can only go so far sometimes."

"I'm sorry to hear that. At least you didn't give up on him." Kestrelflight said. "What caused his infection?"

"There was a mudslide that destroyed our camp during the storm. He got caught under some rocks." He explained.

"You don't think…it could do with the prophecy, do you?" Alderheart shook his head.

"I can't say for sure, but if it does, we need to find that six-toed cat as soon as possible." Asuna looked over at Puddleshine and poked him with her tail.

"Yes?"

"Is everything okay in ShadowClan?"

"Y-Yeah, everything's fine." He assured her. Asuna sensed the uneasiness in his meow, but decided not to prod him for any more information. Now, she waited for the Gathering to commence. Once the leaders got into position, Bramblestar was the first to speak.

"We are here tonight with StarClan's blessing. The frequent storms that have been plaguing the Clans has brought tragedy to ThunderClan." He let out a breath. "Our Clan is in ruin because of the storm, and they have also taken Snowbush from us. He now resides in StarClan. Right now, our camp is slowly getting cleared out, but luckily the rest of us have only sustained minor injuries." He looked over at Leafstar and Rowanstar. "I want to thank you both for offering herbs to help replenish what we have lost."

"I'm sure I speak for us both when I say it's the least we could do." Leafstar meowed. "We're forever thankful for letting Leafpool stay with us. Without her, Tinycloud's kits may not have been delivered properly." She said. "Our camp is coming along nicely, and we enjoy our new territory. Hawkwing and the others should be arriving any day now, and I can't wait to rejoice with our old comrades."

"WindClan is also doing well." Harestar meowed. "Bramblestar, if there are any herbs on the moor that your Clan needs, don't hesitate to send some of your medicine cats over. We'd love to lend a helping paw." The leaders all now looked at Rowanstar, who had yet to speak.

"You all may have noticed that Tigerheart isn't present with us at the moment." He began. "He went missing a few days ago." Asuna looked over at the ThunderClan cats and focused her gaze on Ivypool. _She has to realize by now that Tigerheart missing right after Dovewing went missing is no coincidence. Should I talk to her and try to talk her out of telling Bramblestar anything?_ Rowanstar continued. "We have sent search parties to look for him, but it seems that he's taken good measures into keeping his trail hidden. No cat has any idea where he's heading or why he left." He let out a sigh. "Lately, I've been struggling to keep my Clan together. I hoped that with Tigerheart here it would ease the process, but now…he's left us." He gaze over at his Clanmates. "I don't have the strength to repair what has been broken due to the rogues and therefore…I can no longer lead ShadowClan."

"What!?" Bramblestar looked over at the leader in shock. "Do you realize what you're saying?"

"Yes, and this is for the best." Rowanstar's eyes touched Leafstar's. "Leafstar, I ask that you give my Clan a home in exchange for our territory. Please let what's left of ShadowClan join SkyClan." Yowls of protests were heard immediately from ShadowClan's warriors. Puddleshine broke away from the medicine cats and made his way towards the leaders. He looked over at Leafstar.

"Rowanstar wishes for our Clan to survive. Without Tigerheart here…our Clan is bound to fall apart. We need the security and protection of a Clan with the warrior code dear to their hearts."

"I've always followed the warrior code." Scorchfur sneered.

"Then listen to your leader and accept his decision." Puddleshine retorted.

"But he wants to give our land away!" Juniperclaw added.

"He wants us to be safe."

"Right." Stonewing meowed. "We don't have enough cats for border patrols or hunting patrols. At least we'll be secure in SkyClan and our apprentices can become better warriors than any single one of us." Leafstar looked over at the ShadowClan leader and nodded her head.

"Very well. We welcome any ShadowClan warriors willing to join us. As for the others, I ask for you to leave." Now, meows of protest came from the other Clans.

"This is wrong! There has to be five Clans!" Alderheart called out. Over from ThunderClan, Sparkpelt stood up.

"It didn't take long for SkyClan to claim more territory! I knew them coming here was a mistake!"

"SkyClan has done no such thing! All the territory we have was given to us freely! The Clans were already falling apart ever since we arrived!" Sandynose retorted. Cats all continued arguing about the new situation that they were dealing with.

"No…this isn't supposed to happen…" Alderheart meowed softly. "StarClan said that there's supposed to be five Clans…but now there's only three…" He hit the ground with a paw. "This is all wrong!" Leafpool placed her tail on his shoulder.

"Alderheart, I know things look grim, but there is nothing we can do about it. StarClan may have the answer the next time we speak with them." Anger filled Alderheart's gaze, but before he could say anything, his father let out a yowl.

"That's enough! Rowanstar asked for this, and although many of you have trouble accepting it, it's his choice." He stated. "This Gathering is over." Bramblestar leaped down from the Great Oak and joined his Clanmates. Alderheart followed without a word to the other medicine cats. Before Asuna could leave, Leafpool placed her tail on her shoulder.

"I know I don't need to tell you this, but keep a close eye on Alderheart."

"I will." Asuna nodded. "Hopefully the next time I see you is when you're returning back to ThunderClan." Leafpool let out a smile.

"With Hawkwing coming back soon, it's possible." She meowed. "Stay safe, Asuna."

"You too, oh, and you as well, Kestrelflight. Tell Puddleshine I wish the same for him." The cream she-cat said before she followed behind Alderheart. When she caught up to him, she walked beside him. "Are you feeling okay, Alderheart?"

"No. I'm just…so frustrated right now. I know you mean well, Asuna, but I need to be alone."

"Okay, but I'll be keeping my eye on you still, that'll never change." Alderheart let out a small smile.

"Thanks." Asuna stopped and let the tom continue walking by himself. _Alderheart..._ She looked around to see where Ivypool was and saw that she and Nightheart were just about to cross the tree bridge. _Right, I have to speak with Ivypool._

"Asuna." She turned and saw that it was Kirito.

"Oh, hi Kirito. You didn't say anything did you?"

"Not a word." He assured her. "How are you feeling about ShadowClan giving their land away to SkyClan? You lived there for a while, after all."

"I think it's within reason. Rowanstar's always had a difficult time controlling his warriors, and the rogues invading just made things worse." She answered. "I hope they're okay in SkyClan." She gazed over at Ivypool. "Kirito…I have to tell Ivypool about Dovewing."

"What?! Weren't you the one just asking me seconds ago about not saying anything?"

"I know, but…with the news that Tigerheart is missing, there's no way that she hasn't put the pieces together. I need to try and plea with her not to say anything."

"Do you think that'll work? What if it doesn't?"

"Then we have to hope that Tigerheart and Dovewing don't get into any severe trouble whenever they return." She said. "I'm only telling Ivypool because of how close she is to Dovewing. Don't go telling cats just because you think they have an idea on what's going on." Kirito let out a sigh.

"Geez, you really think I'd do that? At least give me some credit, Asuna." The she-cat let out a smile.

"Just making sure is all. C'mon, let's catch up with the others." The two were the last ThunderClan cats to cross the tree bridge. "Okay, I'm gonna go talk to her now. I think Suguha's up there with Nightheart, so maybe you could keep them company."

"On it." Kirito and Asuna walked beside the group of ThunderClan cats until they reached Ivypool. She looked over at the two and let out a friendly smile. "Hey you two." Kirito looked over at Nightheart and Suguha and walked over to join them.

"Ivypool…can we talk?" Asuna asked the she-cat.

"Sure. Is something wrong?"

"No…but I really need to speak with you in private. You don't mind, right?" Ivypool shook her head and the two stopped.

"Nightheart, I'll see you at camp!" Ivypool called out.

"Okay, mother! I'll make sure to tell father you're alright!" She replied. Ivypool and Asuna stood aside from the passing ThunderClan cats until they had a reasonable distance between them. They then continued walking.

"Ivypool…I'm sure you know why Tigerheart's missing…"

"It's to find Dovewing, isn't it?" Asuna nodded.

"Yes…but there's more to it than that." Ivypool's eyes widened. _Does Asuna know?_

"Did Lelouch tell you?" She asked.

"About what?" _Of course! Lelouch is her mate and he knows, so maybe he told her already._ "Wait…do _you_ know already, Ivypool? A-About Dovewing leaving because of her dreams?" Asuna felt uneasy.

"So you do know." Ivypool meowed. "How?"

"Please don't be mad, but…I helped Tigerheart escape ShadowClan to be with her. He told me everything." She replied. "I wanted to talk with you and try to persuade you not to tell Bramblestar about it at all, but I'm guessing Lelouch told you?" Ivypool nodded.

"I'm not going to say anything, Asuna, don't worry. As much as I hate Tigerheart, I have to accept this." She meowed. "I should thank you for helping Tigerheart, though. It's better knowing that Dovewing and her kits aren't out there alone."

"It's nothing, although we both have different opinions on Tigerheart. I'm sure he'll be a great father for Dovewing's kits."

"It seems like I'm the only one who doesn't…but I hope you're right." She said. "You know not to tell anyone about this, right?"

"Yeah…but while I was helping Tigerheart…Kirito followed me, so he knows, too." The silver and white tabby giggled.

"That doesn't surprise me at all. As long as he doesn't say anything, it should be okay."

"Don't worry, if he does, we'll torment him somehow." The two shared a quick laugh. Asuna then looked over the she-cat.

"Is something wrong?" Her hazel eyes suddenly glowed before it faded.

"Sorry, we were speaking about Dovewing's kits and I noticed that you've been looking a bit different lately, Ivypool." Asuna meowed. "You and Lelouch are expecting kits too, right?"

"I-Is it really that visible?" She meowed, embarrassed at her new swollen figure.

"A bit…but in a good way! Usually you'd come and tell us about it. Did you not want anyone figuring out?" She nodded.

"The Clan needs all the help it can get right now after the rockslide. I still want to help." She answered.

"You're a really diligent warrior, Ivypool, but you should be in the nursery resting. It'll be for your kits' sake." Asuna stated. "Weren't you and Lelouch supposed to wait until after leaf-bare?"

"W-We couldn't help ourselves. He would always joke about us having them now…but I think we began to take the idea seriously."

"I think that cute of you both, actually. I can't wait to see them." Asuna meowed. "We should catch up with the others. We still have to sit vigil for Snowbush." The two quickened their pace and rejoined with the rest of ThunderClan on their way back home.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Noctis walked across the clearing towards the apprentice's den, moss in his jaws. Last night, he was woken by the sound of pawsteps from the cats who went to the Gathering, but he saw that ShadowClan was now being integrated into SkyClan. He was surprised to hear that it was Rowanstar's own decision. _Things must have not gotten better in ShadowClan._ When he reached the den, he saw Twigpaw working on one of the nests.

"Here, I brought some extra in case you need it." He meowed as he placed the bundle between them both.

"Thanks, Noct." She grabbed a piece and added it to the nest in front of her. "Reedpaw, did you need some more?"

"Yeah, I'd appreciate it."

"Take as much as you need. I'll go get some more."

"There's no need. Finpaw and the other ShadowClan apprentices just went out to get more materials." Dewpaw informed him.

"I guess I missed them while I was walking over here." He said as he pushed some moss into the nest in front of him.

"Are you sure you want to be working here with us, Noct? The warriors need nests, too." Twigpaw meowed.

"Sandynose is in there. I don't mean to sound petty, but it's best if we stay away from each other." He replied. "No offense, you two."

"It's okay. Dad's pretty serious most of the time, but it's probably because he's worrying constantly about Finpaw." Reedpaw said.

"Yeah, I mean, you both were fine on our way here, but it doesn't seem that way anymore." Dewpaw added.

"That's my fault. If I wasn't clumsy and fell out of that tree you both wouldn't have argued that day." Twigpaw meowed.

"Don't blame yourself, Twigpaw. We both don't see eye-to-eye, that's all." The black tom assured her. "Besides, I think I get along with all of you easier." Noctis' ears twitched and he looked out of the apprentice's den. "Did you all hear that?"

"It sounded like Finpaw."

"Yeah…but you might want to turn and look." Noctis said, a smile on his face. Twigpaw turned around and once she looked at the entrance to SkyClan, her eyes widened in joy, the she-cat running out of the den. The other two did the same.

"They're back!" Dewpaw meowed in joy, following Twigpaw. Reedpaw looked out and let out a smile.

"Y'know we can stop working on the nests for now. Let's go." They left the apprentice's den and as they walked, Noctis saw just how many SkyClan cats were brought back. _Man, I don't think there's enough room in the warriors' den. We'll probably need to build an all new one before winter hits._ Hawkwing looked over at him with a smile.

"Noctis, it's been a while."

"Yeah. Great to see that you, Violetpaw, and the others are alright." He looked over at the other cats and noticed that they stared at him for a bit.

"Is he a kittypet too? He's wearing a pretty thin collar."

"Maybe. Looks like his Twolegs liked to dress him up or something." Another meowed.

"No, this is Noctis, that cat I was talking about who brought us back with Twigpaw." Hawkwing explained.

"The one from a different world?" One of the cats, a light brown tabby she-cat, broke through. "He does look different. Oh, my name is Frecklewish. It's nice to meet you, Noctis."

"SkyClan's medicine cat, right? I remember hearing Leafstar mention you."

"Frecklewish!" Leafstar ran over to the medicine cat, warmth in her gaze. "You're safe." She rubbed cheeks with the medicine cat. "It's a miracle. I'm so glad to see you here. I thought I'd never see you again!"

"Pardon me for interrupting, but what is ShadowClan doing here?" Hawkwing asked.

"It was Rowanstar's doing. He asked for ShadowClan to disband and for us to take his Clan in as a sanctuary for them."

"Sanctuary? Did something happen? Was it the rogues?" Leafstar leaned towards her deputy.

"I think he wants sanctuary from his Clanmates." Hawkwing looked at her, confused.

"So…ShadowClan's a part of SkyClan now?" Leafstar nodded.

"Correct. Anyway, you all must be hungry. I'll form hunting patrols." She looked over at her Clanmates, but then noticed an unfamiliar face. "Who's this?" She looked over at the yellow tom near Violetpaw.

"My name's Tree." He greeted. Leafstar looked over at Nettlesplash, one of the cats who was brought back from the gorge.

"Did you find him around the gorge?" The pale brown tom shook his head.

"I'm the one who found him." Violetpaw answered. "He was alone, so I thought that he should join us."

"Needletail led Violetpaw to him." Her father added.

"Needletail? I thought she died?" Twigpaw questioned.

"Yes, but she visited her and said he was important to the Clans." Hawkwing explained. From the group of ShadowClan cats, Tawnypelt walked forward and inspected the mysterious tom.

"I feel like I've seen him with Needletail before moons ago…but having her as a friend is an issue." She meowed.

"What? She sacrificed her life to save the Clans!" Violetpaw complained.

"After betraying her Clan." The she-cat retorted.

"Regardless, Violetpaw trusts him, and I trust her." Hawkwing meowed, moving to his daughter's side.

"I understand, but if he was important like Violetpaw says, don't you think that StarClan would've led us to him? We've seen what happens when a Clan lets strangers in, and I don't want to see—."

"Wait!" Puddleshine called out, interrupting the leader. He gazed over at the yellow tom and stared at his paws. "Look!" Curious, Noctis looked over and saw that Tree's hind paw had six toes.

"Six toes, just like the prophecy, right Leafpool?" The black tom looked over at the medicine cat.

"Yes! This is the cat StarClan told us about!" She meowed in joy. "But why did StarClan want us to find him? There must be something special about him." Leafstar flicked her tail.

"Very well, if StarClan wills it, then I must not question them." Her amber eyes looked over at Tree. "For now." She then turned to face her Clanmates. "Bellaleaf! Plumwillow! Please set up hunting patrols. We'll need them now more than ever." Movement finally resumed around the Clan, Noctis standing beside Hawkwing, Violetpaw and Twigpaw.

"I bet you're relieved to be back, huh?" He asked the black and white she-cat.

"Yup. Don't get me wrong, the journey was an amazing experience, but I missed my nest in the apprentice's den."

"Hopefully you still miss it as much. It's going to be really crowded in there." Twigpaw told her. "Noctis, the other apprentices, and I were working to build more nests for ShadowClan's apprentices, but we didn't expect you all to come back at the same time."

"Don't worry you two, you won't need nests." Leafstar meowed as she joined the three. "I think it's time for you both to finally move into the warriors' den." Both apprentices looked at the leader, wide-eyed.

"R-Really?" Violetpaw asked in disbelief.

"Of course. Twigpaw's done so much training, and you were a part of the journey to bring our comrades back. I'm sure you both have enough experience to make the transition." Violetpaw turned towards her sister and cheered.

"We did it! We're finally going to be warriors together!" She pressed her cheek close to her sister's. Leafstar left them alone, preparing for the warrior ceremony.

"Congratulations you two. You'll be amazing SkyClan warriors. I know you mother is watching and she's overjoyed." Hawkwing meowed. Noctis looked over at Twigpaw and saw that she wasn't as excited as her sister.

"Hey, you're finally done building nests and grooming elders. You don't seem so happy about it."

"I am. I just…can't believe it's finally happening." She replied.

"I know! What do you think your name's going to be? I bet it's going to be amazing!" Violetpaw said. Twigpaw slowly began to back away from the three. "Twigpaw? What's wrong?"

"I just need to get some air, that's all."

"Well okay, but come back as soon as you can. The ceremony's going to start soon." Hawkwing informed her before she left. The SkyClan deputy looked over at Noctis.

"You don't have to tell me. I'll bring her back in time." Noctis chased after the apprentice and when he caught up to her, she was catching her breath. "Are you nervous?"

"Why wouldn't I be, Noct? Leafstar really took me by surprise, and the camp is so crowded. I felt like the world was closing in on me. I really just needed to take a breather, honest." She assured the tom.

"Good. You really deserve this, Twigpaw. You worked so hard with Ivypool, and you've really tried your best with Sandynose here. I know your dad said he was proud, but I'm as proud of you as well. Never in my life did I think I'd end up in this world and befriend someone like you, but I'm glad I did." He placed a paw on her shoulder. "I'm with you for as long as I'm here, Twigpaw, and nothing's going to change that." He saw the apprentice wipe her eyes with a paw. "I didn't mean for it to make you cry, y'know?"

"T-That's such a lie. I know you did, Noct!" She saw the tom wipe his eyes. "N-Now you're crying, too?"

"What? Please, it's just contagious. It's not like I wanted to rub my eyes until you did. I'm your favorite tom for a reason, after all." Twigpaw gave him a shove, letting out a smile. "C'mon, let's get back to camp, but wipe your tears away. I don't need anyone thinking I hurt your feelings or anything."

When they returned to camp, Noctis found a seat beside the other SkyClan warriors, waiting for the warrior ceremony to commence. He saw Hawkwing making sure that his daughters looked presentable, the tom constantly grooming their fur. He gave Violetpaw a small push towards Leafstar, the leader letting out a smile when their eyes met.

"I, Leafstar, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard and has learned the warrior code, so now, I hope that you may bless her as she moves on to become a warrior." Still holding Violetpaw's gaze, she continued. "Violetpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect your Clan with your life?"

"I do."

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I grant your warrior name." Violetpaw's eyes gleamed with pride. "Violetpaw, from this moment you will be known as Violetshine in memory of your mother, and your forever shining spirit. StarClan commends your bravery and loyalty and welcome you as a warrior of SkyClan."

"Violetshine! Violetshine!" Cats from all around the clearing called out to congratulate her on her new name. _One down, only one to go._ Noctis thought as he watched Twigpaw slowly approach Leafstar. _You've been waiting for this moment, and it's finally here. Walk tall, Twigpaw._ As Leafstar was about to speak, Twigpaw shook her head.

"I-I'm sorry, I can't do this. I am ThunderClan. I need to go back to them." Noctis looked at her in surprise as the whole camp fell silent. She had finally reached the point she was at in ThunderClan before leaving to SkyClan and she now changed her mind. He could see the distraught look in Violetshine's eyes. "I wish I felt like a SkyClan cat…but my place is in ThunderClan." Anger now filled the SkyClan leader's eyes.

"You should have said something earlier. Now isn't the right time to change your mind."

"It's better than saying something afterwards." She responded bravely. Sandynose now approached the two, standing beside Twigpaw.

"This wasn't an easy decision for Twigpaw to make. I've seen her struggle so much here ever since she came to SkyClan." He looked over at Twigpaw. "I'm proud that she gained the courage to decide."

"She's wasted our time." Leafstar retorted.

"She found where her heart truly lies. Calling that a waste of time is ridiculous." Noctis looked at him in shock. _Wow, I guess Sandynose isn't as bad of a cat that I painted him out to be._ Leafstar let out a grunt of irritation.

"This ceremony is over." Noctis made his way over to where Twigpaw was, her father talking with her.

"That definitely came out of nowhere, Twigpaw." Noctis meowed. He looked over at Sandynose. "I guess I should apologize for treating you the way I have. You really do care for Twigpaw." Sandynose raised a paw.

"No, I've been a bit of a jerk to you, Noctis. I'd at least like to apologize before you leave, so I'm sorry." The tom meowed.

"Right, I guess I'll be heading back to ThunderClan with this one." He rubbed Twigpaw on the head.

"This isn't fair!" They turned around and saw it was Violetshine, anger and tears in her eyes. "You're abandoning me again! Why do I deserve this?!"

"I'm not doing that at all! You'll always be my sister, no matter what." Twigpaw assured her, but she didn't listen.

"This is just like when we were in ShadowClan! You could've been with me, but you decided to go with your precious ThunderClan! They're just a bunch of know-it-alls! Why do you care about them more than me?!" Violetshine collapsed onto the ground, tears streaming down her eyes.

"I don't care about them more than you! I just…won't be happy here."

'Do you think I care about if you're happy?!" Her sister spat. "What about me? Why can I never be happy!? You're always happy everywhere you go because you have Noctis by your side! Is that it? Does it make you happier to have him around than your own sister?!" She stopped after she realized her anger consumed her. "I'm sorry…I just…everything is the way it's supposed to be…but now…" Twigpaw pressed her muzzle against her sister's.

"You'll always be my sister, and I'll always love you, Violetshine. The same goes for dad, too. The time we've spent will be the greatest memories that I treasure." She meowed.

"Twigpaw's right." Hawkwing stated. "I know it's hard, Violetshine, but isn't it better for her to find where she truly belongs than constantly wishing she was there instead?"

"I guess…but I just wish she thought that she belonged here with us." She said coldly. From behind, Leafstar cleared her throat.

"Twigpaw, if you're not a SkyClan cat, then maybe you should head to ThunderClan." She told her, her voice still filled with irritation. "The same goes for you, Noctis. I'm sure you'll be following her?"

"Yeah." He pressed closer to the apprentice.

"We should go now." Twigpaw meowed. "Thank you all for everything you've done for me." Leafstar gave her a nod before walking away. She shared one final nuzzle with her sister before doing the same with her dad. "Take care of each other, okay?"

"We will. Be safe, you two." Hawkwing told her as Twigpaw began walking. Before Noctis could follow, Hawkwing stopped him with his tail. "Please watch over her. You're the closest thing to family that she has. I'm counting on you, Noctis, and so is Violetshine."

"Got it." The black tom then approached Violetshine. "I promise that you'll see Twigpaw again." Her yellow gaze touched his blue eyes.

"I'm sorry for what I said, Noctis. I didn't mean to sound like I hated you or anything." She apologized. "Please…keep Twigpaw safe."

"What kind of older brother would I be if I didn't?" Violetshine let out a small smile and rubbed her muzzle against his.

"Thank you, Noct." The tom nodded before looking over at Twigpaw at the entrance, waiting for him. "I better catch up with her. Thanks for everything, you two. I'll make sure to take care of her." The black tom made his way over to where Twigpaw was. "Ready to go?"

"I was the one waiting for you, remember?" The two began to hear the scornful meows of SkyClan cats.

"ThunderClan! Can you believe that?"

"She was never really happy here, even with her own family!"

"Will SkyClan ever forgive her?"

"Don't listen to them, Twigpaw. C'mon." Noctis pushed her forward with his tail.

"Twigpaw! Noct! Wait!" They turned around and saw that it was Finpaw.

"Finpaw? We didn't say our goodbyes, didn't we?" The tom meowed.

"I'm really sorry about all this, Finpaw. I'll miss you." The apprentice shook his head.

"Sorry? Goodbyes? What are you both talking about?" He said with a laugh. "None of that's going to be necessary because I'm tagging along with you!"

"What?! Are you sure?" Noctis asked.

"This is your Clan, after all." Twigpaw added.

"Well now ThunderClan's my Clan." He responded. "I don't care if I'm SkyClan, ThunderClan, or whatever Clan. As long as I'm with you, Twigpaw, I'll be in any Clan." A blush formed on the she-cat's face, Noctis letting out a small grin.

"Y'know, if Finpaw's on top of your list of toms now, I wouldn't complain." He whispered.

"A-Are you really thinking about that now?" He let out a small laugh at her embarrassment before turning to face the brown apprentice.

"Welcome to the group, Finpaw."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Nightheart crept slowly towards a mouse, hoping that it didn't sense her yet. Sorrelstripe, Birchfall, and Cloudtail froze in place as they watched her. With a quick leap and a killing bite, Nightheart secured her prey.

"Great catch, Nightheart." Birchfall commended.

"Thank you, grandfather." Nightheart bowed her head. Cloudtail let out a small laugh.

"Grandfather? That's something I rarely hear myself."

"It reminds me how old I really am now." The light brown tabby meowed.

"O-Oh, I apologize. I didn't mean for it to make you feel that way." Birchfall gave her a lick to the ear.

"It's alright, Nightheart. You are my favorite granddaughter, after all." The she-cat let out a smile.

"I'm your only grandkit." Her nose suddenly twitched and she stepped away from the tom. "SkyClan?" She looked around.

"It's coming from over here!" Sorrelstripe informed them as she slowly entered the brush. Nightheart followed behind her.

"Do you think ThunderClan would let us back in?" _Twigpaw? They're a bit farther from here._

"Hopefully. Just try not to jump back and forth between Clans, okay?" _Noctis, too?_

"Let's go confront them. I'm sure we'll be okay." Nightheart took the lead and the others followed. As she broke through the final bush leading to the SkyClan cats, she saw all their eyes on her. "Hi you two." She greeted. Her violet eyes then looked over at Finpaw. "Who's this?"

"I'm Finpaw. I stayed in ThunderClan for a bit when we came here." He meowed.

"What brings you three here? Is SkyClan in some sort of danger?" Cloudtail asked.

"It's a long story, but we're rejoining ThunderClan." Noctis meowed.

"Even Finpaw?" Sorrelstripe questioned.

"Yup!" The ThunderClan cats all looked at each other.

"We'll have to take you back to Bramblestar to see what he says. I can't guarantee that he'll accept you three in immediately." The white tom meowed. "We're back in camp now, so it's a good thing we caught you three before you headed to the lake." He looked over at the others. "Nightheart, your mouse will do for now. I'm sure this is more important."

"Right." Cloudtail took the lead, followed by the others.

"So…what made you both want to join ThunderClan?" Sorrelstripe wondered.

"I was having my warrior naming ceremony…and I realized that ThunderClan is where I feel like I really belong. Leafstar wasn't happy with me, and neither was Violetshine."

"It must have been a really hard choice for you to make, Twigpaw. Your family's in SkyClan after all. The same goes for you, Finpaw." Nightheart meowed.

"Yup, but wherever Twigpaw goes, I'm going." He said, causing the violet-eyed she-cat to giggle.

"He sounds like a mini you, Noctis."

"Yeah. Hopefully being like me isn't what influenced him to come along." He replied before looking over at Finpaw. "You sure you wanna do this?" The apprentice replied with a nod. "His mind's made up. Can't do anything about it."

"Like I said, this all depends on Bramblestar." Cloudtail reminded them.

When they arrived at camp, Lelouch was the first to walk up to them, greeting his daughter by brushing his muzzle against hers.

"How'd hunting go?" He then noticed the SkyClan cats. "Twigpaw? What are you doing here?"

"They've decided to join ThunderClan." Nightheart replied.

"Really?" Lelouch looked at the apprentice with a smile. "I'm sure Ivypool's going to be happy to see you."

"Hey, I'm back too, you know." Noctis meowed.

"Yeah, but that's more of a given, isn't it? Plus, you did warp into my mate." He joked. Lelouch's violet gaze drifted over to Finpaw. "Is he also from SkyClan?"

"This is Finpaw. He decided to come along with them." His father in-law explained.

"Twigpaw?" The apprentice saw that it was Alderheart, the tom running over to them. "Noct and Finpaw too! Did something happen in SkyClan?"

"They've decided to join ThunderClan." Cloudtail informed the medicine cat.

"What?! But…you both have families in SkyClan."

"Twigpaw made her choice. I don't think you'll be able to change her mind, Alderheart." The black tom stated.

"I'm not trying to. I just…it must've been hard to make such a decision, that's all." From behind them, Bramblestar approached.

"Is what I'm hearing true?" He looked over at the two apprentices. "Do you both really wish to join ThunderClan?"

"Yes. I've missed being here ever since I left. I believe that it's where I truly belong." Twigpaw told the leader. "I'll do whatever it takes to become a part of this Clan again, and Finpaw will do the same."

"I hope so. I wish I could let you both in without question, but your indecisiveness leaves me concerned, and the same goes for Finpaw. I'm sure he can be trusted, but that'll need to be gained." The leader stated. "As for you, Noctis, I'm sure your stance is based on whether Twigpaw's able to stay here or not." The tom nodded. "Very well. I'll keep an eye on both of you and pass my judgement when the time comes." Bramblestar turned around and left the group, a smile on Alderheart's face. _This is amazing! Twigpaw and Noctis are back in ThunderClan! Ever since they left I've felt like something was missing here, but not anymore. Maybe they're what I need to keep my mind off of the prophecy._


	7. Epilogue

Epilogue

 _Asuna, Alderheart, Jayfeather, and Kestrelflight_ waited beside the pebbly surface of the lake in SkyClan's territory, the chill air blowing through their fur. Asuna's body shivered.

"Are you cold?" Alderheart asked her, but she shook her head.

"Not really. That last gust of wind just took me by surprise, that's all." She assured him. "This is nothing compared to leaf-bare." The medicine cats were all waiting for Leafpool. She had returned in the morning, but had told them to meet up by the lake at moonhigh before running off to WindClan. None of them had the slightest idea why.

"Look! Over there!" Kestrelflight meowed. They looked over at the lake and watched as an owl swooped down close to the water before ascending into the sky. "Owls rarely go that close to water. Maybe it's a sign from StarClan!"

"About what, exactly? That an owl would save the Clans?" Jayfeather scoffed.

"I'm just saying that it could be a sign, that's all." The WindClan medicine cat replied curtly.

"There's been plenty of signs as of late. I don't think we need any more for now."

"At least until we finish solving this prophecy." Alderheart said. _We still have no idea where the six-toed cat is. I'll care about more signs after we find it._

The brush uphill began to shake, Asuna sensing Leafpool's scent, along with Puddleshine's. She saw the two medicine cats walk down to meet with them, followed by two unfamiliar ones. Once she got there, the ThunderClan medicine cat bowed her head. "Thank you all for coming."

"Who are the others that you brought?" Jayfeather asked, his blind gaze fixed onto the two mysterious cats.

"My name is Frecklewish, and this is my apprentice, Fidgetpaw. We're SkyClan's medicine cats." She introduced. "Say hi, Fidgetpaw."

"H-Hello." The apprentice meowed nervously.

"SkyClan medicine cats? At least you'll be back home now." Jayfeather said.

"Yes, but after I show Frecklewish and Fidgetpaw around. I'm sure you can hold on until then, right, Asuna?" The cream she-cat let out a small laugh.

"They've both been well-behaved toms so far."

"I don't mean to interrupt, but let's move on to the important part here!" Frecklewish's paws poked the ground impatiently. "Hawkwing brought back more than just SkyClan allies." As she said that, a yellow tom walked out from the bushes and joined the others.

"A loner?" Jayfeather questioned after scenting the tom.

"My name's Tree." He greeted, bowing his head.

"You're the six-toed cat."

"What?!" Asuna and Alderheart looked over at the blind medicine cat in shock. "How'd you know?" The tom asked.

"Why else would Leafpool make such a commotion to gather us here?" Asuna stepped around the cat, looking at his hindpaws. She then saw it, the coveted sixth toe that they were all searching for.

"He is the one!" She meowed joyously. "Alderheart, look!" The tom followed where her tail was pointed and let out a sigh of relief.

"Finally."

"There's another reason why we needed to meet here." Leafpool continued. "Tree has a special power and we need to be here specifically to show you all what it is."

"What is it?" Alderheart wondered. Suddenly, they heard the sound of parting bushes from the top of the slope leading to the lake, along with the mingling scent of ShadowClan. Out of the bushes, Scorchfur and Juniperclaw walked out, leading all of their Clanmates, followed by Rowanstar and Tawnypelt, Violetshine scurrying behind.

"What are _they_ here for?" Jayfeather growled at the scent of the ShadowClan cats.

"They need to see what Tree can do." Puddleshine explained. Leafpool looked over at Violetshine as she got close.

"Is this okay?" Violetshine walked down to the shore and nodded her head when she turned back to face the medicine cat.

"Yes."

"What is this all about?" The blind medicine cat meowed impatiently.

"Tree has the power to bring dead cats from the darkness so that we may speak with them." Leafpool informed them.

"F-From the dead?" Asuna shuddered at the thought. "How?"

"He's not sure. Tree says he was born with it."

"That's right." The yellow tom said as he padded to the shore beside Violetshine. "The dead are all around us. I can sense them, and sometimes make them appear…but I can't make every dead cat appear." He went on. "Needletail told me about StarClan, but I've never seen one of them in my life. My guess is that I can only sense cats with a deep connection to the living. Ones that feel like they need to reach a sense of justice and rectify the mistakes they made in their life, like Needletail. Only then will they make their transition to StarClan." Leafpool turned to the tom and nodded her head. Tree got closer to the lake's edge and let out a breath before gazing towards the shimmering surface in front of him. The others watched in silence, waiting for anything to happen.

"This is pointless! He's just making a fool out of us!" Rowanstar complained.

"Hush." His mate retorted, placing her tail on his shoulder. Asuna then watched as the calm lake suddenly began to ripple, the shape of cats beginning to emerge from the water. They began to approach them and when they reached the surface, she noticed a light glowing beneath their pelts, almost close to how StarClan cats looked, minus the stars in their pelts.

"Beenose!"

"Mistcloud!"

"Lioneye!"

"Dawnpelt!" The ShadowClan cats approached their fallen Clanmates. Asuna's heart filled with joy at the sight of Dawnpelt, the she-cat being one of the few ShadowClan warriors she befriended during her stay there.

"Wait…where's Cloverfoot, Slatefur, Berryheart, Yarrowleaf, and Sleekwhisker?" Puddleshine asked, trying to look for the missing ShadowClan cats.

"They must still be alive." Beenose said softly.

"Still alive? Why would they stay away from ShadowClan?" Grassheart wondered.

Asuna looked over at Alderheart and noticed the tom wasn't next to him anymore. She saw that he was now beside Violetshine. Her gaze softened when she saw Needletail was with them, the same bright glow below her coat. She made her way over to the lake's edge and when she was next to them, Needletail stopped talking and connected her gaze to her hazel eyes.

"Asuna…"

"Violetshine told me what you said that day…that you were sorry for everything that you did…" Her eyes began to glisten. "I'm sorry for trying to keep Violetshine away from you. I cared for her safety…but you did, too…and I'm sorry for hurting you the day I left ShadowClan."

"You don't have anything to be sorry for, Asuna. I'm the one who ruined the bond we had. I followed the rogues and now look what happened." She sighed. "I wish I could've been more like you and made smarter decisions in my life. I'm…sorry for everything I've done to you. You'll always be one of the cats I respect so much." She pressed her muzzle close to hers. When she broke away, she looked over at the other ShadowClan cats. "I know they probably will never forgive me, but now I have a chance to make sure you're all safe. That's all I want to do before I leave to StarClan." Needletail walked towards the other fallen cats, Asuna, Alderheart, and Violetshine following behind her.

"Rowanstar, you must bring your old Clanmates back." Lioneye informed the leader.

"No…I can't. Don't look at me for leadership! Look at what happened to all of you! If I was a better leader, then you'd all still be by my side. I've failed my Clan…and my kin… I'm not worthy to lead ShadowClan!"

Asuna looked over at him, worry in her eyes. "Rowanstar, that's not true at all! You—."

"Don't call me Rowanstar anymore! I'm not worthy of that title…and I never was." His voice was cold. "StarClan was wrong in blessing me with that name. From now on, I am Rowanclaw." After he said that, the others watched as the fallen cats began to disappear.

"No! Don't go!" Alderheart cried out as he watched Needletail and the others slowly fade away. Once they were gone, silence filled the lakeside.

"I'm sorry." Tree apologized. "I can only keep them visible for so long. Were they able to deliver their message?"

"Yes, thank you, Tree." Leafpool meowed.

"That's a relief. So, do you all know how to save the Clans?" Asuna looked over at Alderheart, and then at the others. Tree seemed so optimistic, but he didn't know how difficult everything was going to be. _Rowanstar has to bring back ShadowClan to its former glory…but how? He's practically given up hope and even withdrew his name as leader._ Her hazel eyes gazed at the lake. _We need five Clans again. RiverClan could eventually return, but ShadowClan? Tigerheart might've been their only hope, and he's gone now. They have Clanmates out there somewhere who need help…and without it…the fall of ShadowClan might be on the horizon._

* * *

And that's a wrap for Turn 4. I hope that you all enjoyed this installment of the series and are looking forward to the last two. Turn 5 will bring yet another cat from another world to assist the Clans, so I hope you're all prepared for that. That will also be the final cat from another world added for Everlasting Miracles II, but if there is a EM III, there will definitely be more cats from other worlds. Anyway, thank you to all who have been following this series from the beginning, and to any newcomers. I don't really write for views or the sort. This is more of an idea outlet more than anything.

Well, I hope to see you all in Turn 5: A Future of Hope. ~Geasswolf


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